


Lonely at the Top

by SeparationBoundary



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alcohol, Amateur boxing, Anal Sex, Angst, Cats, Drinking, Drunkenness, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Modern AU, Top!Levi, accountant!Erwin, animal in danger, ass eating, bottom!Erwin, eruri - Freeform, eventual mutual pining, lawyer!Levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:00:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24127795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeparationBoundary/pseuds/SeparationBoundary
Summary: Erwin, an accountant at a big law firm is obsessed with the lawyer at a rival firm.  The two men despise each other.  Why do they keep ending up in each other’s presence?
Relationships: Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 65
Kudos: 197





	1. The Lawyer

**Author's Note:**

> “I don't mean to sound conceited, but if you don't know me  
> It's a sad life I've been leadin', cuz it can get lonely at the top  
> Look at me, undefeated, I'll leave 'em in pieces, I've become elitist  
> Cuz when I tell you, hell, I mean it  
> That it gets so lonely at the top” JT Machinima

Prologue:

At the corner of Titan Blvd. and W. Wall St. there stands a 22 story building called the Cornerstone building. It wasn’t new, dating from the 1920s, but was in excellent shape and bore the incredibly beautiful Art Deco architecture and design style. The entire top floor was home to an old and trusted law firm and most people didn’t notice at all the first few weeks after the new law firm moved into the floor below them. They noted the new signage, the new name on the directory, Levi Ackerman Law Group, but that was the extent of it.

In reality, the employees had passed by each other often in the lobby of the Cornerstone. It was a busy professional building. As well as the two law firms on the top two floors, there were marketing firms, advertising agencies, accountants, and a magazine publisher. Business suits and briefcases were everywhere. They had even brushed past each other before.

Wednesday -

Erwin was in the main lobby when he first actually noticed the lawyer. Erwin was waiting to go to lunch with his friend and was whiling away the time by the front desk, people-watching. The lawyer was signing for a package at the desk and was clearly in a bad mood. Erwin picked him out after a few moments, drawn to how striking he was. Now, Erwin was a man who had everything; penthouse apartment, plentiful lovers, more money than he could spend. He didn’t need anything. That didn’t mean he was blind or averse to a little entertainment. His job was boring. He liked interesting things, pretty things. He liked to be amused. He was intrigued.

Despite his momentous scowl, the handsome man hung loosely on the marble counter at the front desk. Totally at ease in his surroundings, in his own skin. He was small, smaller by far than Erwin, but well built in a Dolce & Gabbana suit, shoulders broad, waist narrow, nice ass, and thick thighs and calves; he clearly worked out.

Erwin stepped toward the desk.

“Anything for Smith?” he asked smoothly, mimicking the man’s casual lean on the desktop, cocking one leg and sticking out his own fine ass. The receptionist looked overwhelmed.

“Hey, Dickhead,” a voice said beside him, “I was here first.”

Erwin raised an impressive brow toward the voice. It was the smaller man, of course.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me, Blondie. Now shove over, you’re taking up all the air.”

Erwin shifted obligingly to the right, suppressing a smile. 

“It is your job--” the man resumed, jabbing one pale, slender finger at the receptionist, “--to bring me my packages!”

“I know Mr. Ackerman, sir, but it had to be signed for by the recipient and you weren't in your office …”

Ackerman, Erwin thought. As in Ackerman Law Group. The law firm one floor below his own law firm. Was this Levi Ackerman?

It  _ was _ Levi Ackerman, indeed, and Levi Ackerman  _ had _ been in his office at the time of the package’s delivery--in the ensuite bathroom, fucking the PA of one of their junior lawyers against the sink.

“I don’t care,” Levi was saying, “You should have brought it back!”

“Sir, we--”

“Mr. Ackerman,” Erwin interrupted, unable to help himself. “I’m Erwin Smith, Shadis and Dok.” He extended one big hand. Levi looked at it suspiciously.

“Shadis and Dok? Top floor?”

Erwin nodded. The other man had still not taken his hand.

“Lawyer?” he demanded.

“Accountant. I founded the firm with the two principal lawyers.”

Levi eyed him up and down. Abruptly, he scribbled his signature on a piece of paper, shoved it at the receptionist, and grabbed his package.

“Yeah, good luck with that,” he said to Erwin and headed for the elevators.

He never did shake Erwin’s hand.

The fascinating little man stayed in the forefront of Erwin’s mind all the way up the elevator to the 22nd floor. Once there he turned toward his office. The top floor of the Cornerstone had been a restaurant at one time and thus was open-plan now. Clerks and assistants and PAs all worked in the center and the lawyers all had offices around the perimeter. On three of the four corners of the building, glass walls had been erected so that there were three offices made entirely of glass. Erwin headed to the southernmost one, nodding to his assistant as he stepped in the glass door.

He hadn’t even settled behind his desk when a dark-haired, rangy man with a poor attempt at facial hair but a very expensive suit, appeared in Erwin’s office doorway, grinning. Erwin sat back in his chair and returned the smile.

“You’re looking pleased with yourself, Nile.”

Nile’s grin widened and he held up a newspaper. “You made the paper!”

Erwin held out his hand. He sat back with the newspaper, looking through the pages while Nile settled himself in a chair.

“Nile Dok and Erwin Smith of Shadis and Dok.” Erwin read.

“There’s a whole article on us,” Nile said, “our more influential clients, our charity work, the pro bono, everything. Puts us in a very good light!”

Erwin examined the picture. It was a casual shot of the two of them down in the lobby of the building, shaking hands. Erwin skimmed the article quickly then something caught his eye about the pic. There was a man captured in the picture, walking by from behind them just as it was snapped. A small man with a confident stride and a dark suit and tie. It was Levi Ackerman.

“Nile, can I keep this?”

Nile beamed. “Sure, I’ve got several. I’m going to frame the article and put it up in the reception area. Why do you want it?”

Erwin tapped the picture. “Who is this?”

Nile squinted at the paper. He needed glasses but was too proud to get them. “That’s Ackerman, isn’t it? The new guy? That runty lawyer from downstairs? I hear he’s a real asshole.”

Erwin rubbed his lips with one finger. “Yes. I found that out the hard way.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I met him in the lobby. He just about took my head off.”

“He used to be a criminal, I heard. A thief, gang member, everything.”

Erwin’s eyebrows crept up his forehead. “Really?”  _ And now he’s a criminal trial lawyer.  _ _ How interesting. _

Nile strolled to the door. “Yeah. I’ve never seen him in court, obviously. Probably talks like a common thug and can barely read. What’s the world coming to?”

Erwin hummed.

Nile paused half out the door. “Oh and be careful. I also hear he’s a real player and will fuck anything with a pulse. Asshole. Several of our own PAs fawn over him.” Nile sniffed. “I don’t see what they see in him.”

After Nile had left Erwin glanced around (the walls of his office were glass, after all, so he could see everyone and they could see him) and then dragged the paper toward himself. Extracting a pair of scissors from his desk he carefully cut the picture out. He gazed at it for a bit then slid it into his desk drawer.

“What, indeed?”

  
  


It was late, after dark, when Erwin got off and left the building to hail a taxi. It was a pleasant night, moist and cool, and he contemplated removing his coat. He spotted a cab coming the right way and stepped to the curb, deciding to keep his coat on.

“Hey, Dickhead.”

Erwin lowered his half-raised arm and looked to his right. It was Levi Ackerman, coat off and draped over his arm, fitted dress shirt accentuating his shoulders and chest.

“I was here first, you fucking tree. What’s with you and getting your hulking ass in my way?”

Erwin was taken aback. “I was just hailing a cab, Levi”

“That’s  _ Mr. _ Ackerman to you, Blondie”

Erwin sighed. There was just something about Levi. Something alluring and frustrating at the same time. “Why are you so angry? I’m just trying to be nice.”

Levi just stared at him.

The cab passed by and Erwin spotted another one a good ways down the block coming their way. He’d hail that one. He cut his eyes over at Levi who appeared to be ignoring him.

“I just thought we could be friends,” he tried again, “seeing as how we both deal with the law. Was your father a lawyer?”

Levi leveled a steely gaze at him and Erwin immediately regretted the foray into conversation. 

“I never knew my father,” Levi said, voice chilly, “Not that it's any of your business.”

Erwin felt a huge pang of guilt. How could a lawyer at the top of his game not have known his own dad? Was everything that Nile had hatefully said, true? Was Levi the product of a trashy deadbeat dad? Erwin couldn’t imagine it. His own father had been a huge influence on his life. Perhaps Levi’s had died tragically.

Erwin shifted, shuffling his feet, uncomfortable. But Levi wasn’t done yet. He stood, body rigid, his back to Erwin for a moment then turned. He looked the taller man up and down in blatant contempt. “At least I’m not some spoiled rich kid with nothing better to do than harass us ‘lesser thans’.”

Erwin reddened and Levi abruptly stuck out his arm into the street. The cab stopped next to him.

“Hey!” Erwin said, “That’s my cab!”

“Finders keepers, ya big baby,” Levi said, ducking in the door. He ducked back out again. “But, for what it’s worth, you trying to assert yourself is kinda hot.”

The door slammed and the cab rolled away. 

  
  


Thursday -

The fire alarm went off at 11 am. Levi was in his office going over some papers and it startled him out of his reverie. He cursed immediately. Fucking fire alarm. Some yahoo in some office on one of the other floors probably burned a bag of popcorn in the microwave … again. And he had work to do.

Belligerently, Levi finished the paperwork he was reading despite the alarm blaring and fellow office members filing past his door. When he finally got done and stepped into the hall he was alone on the 21st floor. Since he couldn’t use the elevators Levi turned right toward the stairwell. Once there he began to jog down the stairs.

Levi’s head was beginning to ache with the blaring alarm and the flashing lights on every floor. He didn’t realize there was someone else in the stairwell with him until he was just one floor above them. He jogged on and caught up with them on the next floor. The height and carefully combed blonde hair was a giveaway; it was Erwin Smith. The taller man looked around, startled. Levi could move almost silently like a cat despite his hard-soled shoes.

“Levi,” Erwin said,

“I prefer  _ Mr. Ackerman _ ,” Levi said, not stopping his jog. Erwin immediately matched his pace, moving shockingly agilely for such a big man. Levi ignored him.

They descended two floors in silence then Erwin spoke.

“I saw that you won the Zimmerman case.”

Levi didn’t respond.

“Good job.” Erwin said, “The man who killed Zimmerman’s wife was a real slimeball.”

“What’re you, twelve?” Levi snapped, “Who says ‘slimeball’? He was a fucking animal.”

Erwin lapsed back into silence.

After another floor, Levi side-eyed the blond man, impressed that he was showing no signs of being out of breath. Not for want of trying; he’d been talking to Levi since they’d met up. Why was he such a chatty motherfucker? And why did they always seem to end up in each other’s space?

  
  


Friday -

The two men seemed destined to meet. Erwin and Levi encountered each other again at the curb, hailing cabs. The weather had turned nasty and the sky was black with clouds.

The rain started so abruptly--a true downpour--that Erwin’s hair and shoulders were pretty much soaked before he could even get his umbrella up. Levi, who had no umbrella, turned as if to go back into the building then stopped. The crush of humans running to take shelter inside the Cornerstone or under the overhang of the front doors was too much. By then he was soaked to the skin. Levi just turned back and raised his arm for a cab.

Erwin was suddenly struck by how handsome Levi was. He stood in the downpour, absolutely drenched, upright, chin high, as if nothing was wrong. His skin, already porcelain, almost glowed in the rain and his straight black hair stuck down against his forehead and face in distinct points. His starched white dress shirt was made transparent by the deluge and Erwin could see his nipples clearly and the faint smattering of black hair over his broad chest and down the center of his abs. He was lean and deliciously muscled if Erwin did say so himself.

Levi’s grey eyes turned to him and suddenly Erwin was embarrassed. He had been ogling. He ducked his head, cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure. Walking close to Levi, Erwin covered him with his umbrella. Levi watched in silence, blinking the water out of his eyes.

“What are you doing, Dickhead?”

“Sharing my umbrella. It’s big enough”

“I didn’t ask you to do that,” Levi said flatly. “I don’t need your help.”

A gust of wind swept through the street and Levi began to shiver. Erwin grabbed a surreptitious glance at the smaller man’s chest where his brown nipples had peaked and hardened. “Put your suit jacket back on,” Erwin instructed.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“You’ll get chilled and get sick,” Erwin insisted.

Levi’s teeth were chattering now. “Why do you c-care?”

A cab finally pulled quickly up, splashing their ankles liberally with water. Erwin opened the door and Levi slid in, berating the driver, “These shoes are leather and hand-stitched, asshole!” Erwin climbed in after him.

“What are you doing?”

“Sharing a cab with you.”

“Fuck off and get your own cab. Sharing your umbrella, sharing a cab, what are you, in love? Quit trying to be nice to me.”

Erwin sighed and prepared to unfold himself out of the cab. It was raining, if it was possible, harder. The water gusted into the cab and Levi cursed.

“Hey … nevermind. We can share.”

Erwin settled back in the seat and thankfully slammed the door. The cab jerked away from the curb.

They sat in silence. The sound of water dripping from Levi’s hair onto the vinyl upholstery of the cab and the hiss of rain outside the only sounds.

Levi’s building was only eleven blocks away and the cab pulled up with a splash. Erwin got out first and held the umbrella for Levi who was handing the driver a precise amount of money.

“I’m already wet, Dickhead. Don’t do me any favors,” Levi said, scrambling out of the cab and slamming the door unnecessarily hard. The cab screeched away and Levi walked out into the downpour, hair plastered flat, cursing about his shoes.

He hadn’t tipped the cab driver. Or asked Erwin for his half.

Erwin sighed and crossed the street.

Once in his apartment, Levi stripped to the skin, dumping his wet clothes into the hamper and carefully hanging up his suit jacket and suit trousers on individual hangers. These he hung up to dry in the kitchen. As he was standing at his kitchen island--stark naked--stuffing his soaked shoes with newspaper, his cat, Sophie, wound herself around his ankles purring loudly.

“And hello to you too, Sophie-baby. Are you hungry?” Solemn green eyes turned up to him and she chirped.

“Give me a minute, darling. Some asshole soaked Daddy’s good John Lobbs.”

Levi finished with his shoes and put them down on the tiles to dry. Sophie sniffed at them curiously. Levi ran hot water and soap into Sophie’s water and food dishes and washed them thoroughly. He filled the water up and set it down and dried the food dish.

“What will you have today, luv? Ocean Whitefish? Or salmon?” He helpfully showed her both cat food packages. Sophie chirped. “Salmon it is.”

As Sophie tucked into her salmon, Levi went to take a shower.

A few minutes later, clean and warm and bundled into a fluffy white robe, Levi sat on the couch and surfed through the channels. Sophie joined him, meticulously cleaning herself on the arm of the couch beside him.

“So how was your day?” Levi asked the cat. She paused in her cleaning, staring at him, tongue peeking out. Levi stroked her and she purred adoringly.

“My day was fine,” Levi continued. “That shithead of an accountant--the one from the law firm upstairs?--decided that I was made of sugar and made me share his umbrella. Weirdo. I think he wants to fuck me.”

Sophie purred louder and walked onto his lap.

“I don’t think I’d even consider it. Pushy bastard.” He absently stroked Sophie’s fur. “He is good looking, though.”

Levi clicked through several more channels.

“He’s a prissy fuck,” Levi continued, rubbing Sophie’s ears. “Poor little rich kid, probably. Has never wanted for anything.” He bent to kiss the top of the cat’s head. “Not like us, eh, Sophie-baby?”


	2. The Spark

Monday -

Levi burst out of the elevator talking fast. “Don’t forget those briefs of Kirstein’s and Jinn’s, and when you go back up, make sure …”

Levi frowned and paused and the young girl who was following him almost ran into him. “I can’t stand that fucker,” he said, distracted.

Petra Ral, his PA, a strawberry blonde slip of a girl, fought to balance an armload of books she was carrying. “Who?”

“That fucker there.”

Petra obediently looked. What she saw was a tall, blond god of a man in a very expensive suit. “Why?” she blurted, wrangling slipping books.

“He’s a pretentious asshole,” Levi said, “and he’s pretty and he knows it.”

Petra, who thought that the man in question  _ was _ pretty said nothing. She thought that Levi was pretty too.

Levi stopped and turned to her. “Well, that’s it. Make sure the Oglevy files are on my desk in the morning and that Whitter’s stuff is done.”

“Yes, sir.”

Levi’s gaze strayed over Petra’s shoulder. He was glaring at the pretty blond god. Levi snorted, spun, and was gone. When Petra looked back, the blond man was staring after her boss as he slammed out the glass doors of the building.

Petra pursed her lips and hummed.

  
  
  


Tuesday -

There was a small canteen on the 15th floor of the building, comprising a dismal cluster of vending machines of different vintages: candy, Coke, coffee, and a huge brand new machine containing an array of energy drinks, water and water-like substances. Rumor had it that there had been a cigarette machine there in some workers’ memories.

Despite the sad offerings, people from all floors tended to congregate there just for a break and to socialize. Levi even found himself doing so as well. Certainly not to socialize. It was more of a boredom thing. He generally stalked up to the food machines, glared at the salt- and sugar-packed snacks through the glass and jingled the change in his pockets agitatedly. He never bought anything.

He had discovered something interesting during his little forays, though; Erwin Smith. The big man liked two things, salty and sugary snacks and people-watching. He hit the canteen on 15th at least twice a day. Levi had made note of that.

Levi was amusing himself currently by rejecting elevator cars as being too full. He couldn’t bring himself to ride in crowded, sweaty lift cars. Of course he could take the stairs, and he often did, but then he’d miss his objective.

And here it came.

Erwin came in talking, an eager-looking PA with long red hair hurrying attentively beside him. Levi appraised her briefly and tucked her into his mind’s Rolodex for use later. Then he focussed on Erwin.

Erwin was greeting the people he knew (how many fucking people did that dickhead know, for Christ’s sake?) and otherwise making a beeline for the snack machine. Levi slid neatly in front of it.

Erwin, a good foot taller than Levi and not realizing who he was, simply stepped up behind him and perused the snacks over his head. Levi looked backward and up--an unintentionally disarming gesture, like a tiny black kitten looking up at a human--and met Erwin’s gaze.

“Dickhead,” Levi said.

Erwin’s lips pressed together. “Levi.” His gaze went back to the snacks.

“You don’t need this chemically shit, you know,” Levi said.

Erwin’s pale eyes flickered down to Levi again. “Neither do you.”

“Oh, I’m not buying this crap.”

“Then why are you in front of the machine?”

“Just to fuck with you.”

The corners of Erwin’s mouth twitched upward. The red-headed PA was watching the exchange raptly. That garnered Levi’s attention. Suddenly and miraculously Levi bestowed a small but brilliant smile on the woman.

“Hey, gorgeous.”

The woman blushed prettily and smiled. “Hiya.”

“This guy treating you right?” Levi asked, brows knitting.

“Oh … OH! No, Mr Smith and I are just co-wor--”

“‘Cause if he isn’t, all you have to do is bring your pretty ass downstairs to 21 and talk with me.” Levi had moved steadily if minutely closer to the woman as he spoke until he almost had his taut body pressed against her lush one. Despite trying to ignore Levi, Erwin was fascinated. 

Levi’s fine black brows knit again and he brushed her hand with his. “How much are they paying you up there, anyway? Y’know, we have a few openings …”

“Levi,” Erwin said mildly. “Stop trying to steal our employees.”

Levi rubbed a finger up and down the woman’s arm as she blushed some more and giggled. “Aww, Smith, I’m not … just the beautiful ones.”

The PA laughed then, high and bright, and Erwin stared at Levi. His face felt hot and his chest tight. He was amazed and upset at how the man could be so prickly to him but warm to others.

But he had never,  _ ever  _ called him by his name before.

  
  
  


Levi was bored. He twiddled his expensive fountain pen (medium nib, blue ink) and sighed. He was done with his work and had absolutely nothing else he could think of doing. It was only 1:30 - too early to scoot out and just bail on this workday. Too early to hurry home to Sophie (the only creature who understood him besides Hange) and open a bottle of wine, or two.

Perhaps a convenient piece of ass could while away the time.

He pursed his lips and jumped up from behind his desk, crossing to his office door. He opened it and leaned out. Unlike Shadis and Dok, upstairs, their office was not open plan but still, with the movement of people to and fro Levi could catch sight of almost a half a dozen people crossing or walking down the main hall.

He contemplated the two females in view. No. One was a very prim grandmother and the other he’d dallied with before. The men? Nope again. One was happily married, one strictly straight, and the other another one of his oft-times used flings. 

Boring, boring, boring.

Levi returned to his desk. Oh, what he wouldn’t give for someone to murder someone and bring the case to him. He sighed again. Of course, he didn’t really mean that. He didn’t want anyone else murdering anyone else at all especially not for his benefit. Even though, if people stopped murdering each other, his business would flag.

Levi opened a folder, closed it again. He rummaged through his desk drawers, looking for things to throw away. They were immaculate as was everything he had a hand in.

He could hear the clattery old elevators moving. That was a minor miracle. The old things--which dated from when the buidling was built--were notoriously dicey and broke down frequently. The building super, Weilmann had to coax them back to life at least once a week. Levi wondered idly who was in them right now. Erwin Smith perhaps? He let his mind wander. Erwin was a gorgeous fucker. Levi toyed with his pen and amused himself by imagining the big blond man kneeling naked on the floor, his hands bound behind his back. Levi squirmed in his chair and adjusted the crotch of his trousers.  _ Christ! What the fuck?  _ What a strange thought.

  
  


Wednesday -

Erwin was crossing the lobby of the Cornerstone with a very well made coffee from his favorite hole-in-the-wall cafe. He didn’t even need or want the coffee he just wanted to get out of the office for a bit and relax and people watch. He was across from the elevators when he heard a deep, distinctive voice.

“Hey, Dickhead.”

Erwin turned. Unsurprisingly it was Levi, striding toward him purposefully.

“It’s Erwin,” Erwin said firmly.

“Whatever.” Levi waved a handful of letters. “We got your mail again. I’m about to go tear the mailroom a new one but you can go ahead and take these. I don’t want your shit.”

Erwin was opening his mouth, forming a comeback, when a woman with wild brown hair dragged up into a ponytail and thick glasses came bounding up to them like an over-eager dog.

“Levi!” she said, ignoring Erwin.

“Hange,” Levi grunted. “What do you want?”

“Have you decided about the coffee maker?”

“Are you still fixating on that? You take it. I don’t want it. Stupid thing. You know I only drink properly brewed tea.”

“Levi! It was a housewarming gift! A top of the line Keurig! Don’t be ungrateful. You never even took it out of the box. Give it to someone. I don’t need it.” The big brown eyes, magnified behind their glasses, focussed on Erwin as if she’d just noticed him. “Give it to him. He’s cute. He likes coffee,” she said gesturing at Erwin’s cup.

Hange shoved her glasses back up on her nose and stuck out her hand. “Dr. Hange Zoe.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Erwin murmured, returning her rather excruciating handshake. 

Hange turned back to Levi. “So what about it?”

Levi was suspiciously flustered. “What the hell, Hans? I don’t even know this guy. He’s just some asshole who works on the floor above mine!”

“So? You’re talking. You don’t want the coffee maker. Give it to him.”

Levi sighed and shoved both hands into his trouser pockets. “You want a Keurig?” he asked Erwin.

Erwin had no use for a Keurig. He had a $3000 Bosch coffee machine at his home and a matching one in his office but he had an undeniable and unexplainable urge to keep talking to Levi. “I’d love one. That’s very kind of you.”

Levi briefly seemed startled then recovered. “I can bring it Monday.”

“Or I can stop by your place and grab it,” said Erwin, “I think your building is right across from mine.”

Levi went very still. “How do you know that?”

“We get out of our cabs on the same block and those are the only two apartment buildings there. I’m in the blond stone building on the west side of the street.”

Levi studied him suspiciously for a moment. He finally shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t want you in my law firm anyway, Dickhead. You might be spying or some shit. You know the building, penthouse apartment. Come by tonight.”

Wednesday night -

Erwin jogged across the street on the diagonal, heading for the red brick building. It wasn’t quite as tall as his own but it was still a very nice place. He rode the elevator up to the top floor and got out in a very pleasant foyer with a single door and a potted plant. He could hear voices--raised voices--from inside the apartment. He hesitated to knock, listening. It was a female voice, clearly irate, that dominated. Was that Ms. Zoe again? Were they spouses? Lovers? After a moment everything calmed down and Erwin ventured to ring the bell.

The door opened to reveal a badly disheveled Levi.

Erwin was absolutely taken aback. He had never seen the other man in any state but pristine; immaculate suit and tie, hair shiny black and falling artfully over his brow, grey eyes clear and sharp.

The Levi that slouched casually on the other side of the door was rumpled and sweaty and sported scratches on his shoulders and sides and was naked except for black stretchy boxers. His hair stuck up everywhere and he stank of sex--a heady mixture of cum and sweat that made Erwin’s cock twitch with interest. Behind him, a woman with dark, bobbed hair, wearing nothing but underpants, was violently collecting her clothes.

“... and you’re an asshole! What grown man kicks a woman out right after?! You bastard! You should at least pay for my cab!” She began jerking on her yoga pants. Erwin tried his damndest to politely not look at her breasts or the hickeys all over her neck or the fingermark bruises on her thighs.

Levi was oblivious. “Oh, yeah. I forgot. The Keurig. Come in.”

“You son-of-a-bitch!” the woman said. “Are you even listening?”

Levi closed the door and scratched the back of his head. He gestured to a large box on his kitchen island. “Can you carry it OK, big boy?’

Erwin smirked. “I think I can manage.”

“I’m leaving!” the woman announced, standing by the door.

“Yeah,” Levi murmured, gesturing vaguely.

The door slammed resoundingly.

Levi didn’t even blink.

Thursday -

Shadis of Shadis and Dok was an older man and worry-worn. He was the senior lawyer in the firm and was close to retirement. He waylaid Erwin as the other man was getting out of the lift.

“Did you hear that Anderson jumped ship?”

“Dave Anderson?”

Shadis nodded.

“Well that’ll be a blow to the books. Did he say why?”

Shadis smoothed his vest down over his boney frame. “No, but I know where he went.”

“Where?”

“I saw him talking to that Ackerman, downstairs, a couple of times last week.”

Erwin’s eyebrows shot upwards.  _ How interesting. _

  
  


“ _ Mis _ ter Ackerman,” The smooth, deep voice said.

Levi felt rather than saw the big man enter his office as if by sheer mass alone he disturbed the air.

Levi was looking for a book in his vast bookshelf, up on the delicate maple ladder that connected to the shelves on clever little wheels so that it could roll back and forth. On the ladder, Levi was taller than Erwin. That was rare as the former was all of five foot three and the latter over six-two.

Erwin looked comfortably up at the smaller man, his pale blue eyes glittering.

“Poaching Nile’s clients, I see?”

Levi never stopped studying his books despite having located the volume he was looking for moments ago.

“I didn’t  _ poach _ anyone. Anderson came to me of his own volition.”

Erwin stroked the smooth maple of the ladder, “And why would Nile’s client voluntarily--and suddenly--come to you? Nile is an excellent lawyer.”

Levi looked at him and pursed his lips. “I’m not at liberty to say. You know that.”

Erwin frowned.

Levi studied the man for a moment, admiring the clench of his impressive blond brows. “You worried about your boyfriend, Smith?

Erwin snorted. “You know very well that Nile and I aren't sleeping together, Levi. We started that firm together and he’s simply one of the lawyers in my firm. My older and more respected firm.”

Levi ignored the jibe. “Dok won’t fuck you, eh?”

Erwin gave him a withering glance. “Levi …”

“If It makes you feel any better, I’d fuck you”

“Hah hah” Erwin said drily. He turned to go. “Try to keep your paws off of our clients please.”

Levi watched him go. Abruptly he had a sudden, visceral reaction. He wanted to see that big man wrecked. He wanted to see him go to pieces under his touch, wanted to see those full lips swollen and red from his kisses.

Because Levi liked fucking men. Not getting fucked but doing the fucking. The bigger the man the better. There was nothing he liked more than pinning some tall bastard to the mattress and fucking him hard enough to make him scream Levi’s name. You’d be amazed at how many big guys were really into that and Levi was happy to oblige.

Levi tapped his lips with his thumb. Why was it again that they were enemies?


	3. The Boxer

Friday Evening -

  
  


Erwin walked with a spring in his step to his gym, about two blocks down and two over from his apartment building. The icy air made him feel alive, somehow.

The gym was old--dating from back in the 20s--so, contemporary with the Cornerstone and Erwin loved the aesthetic. It was dingy and dim with a high vaulted ceiling like an aircraft hanger. High, high up in the rafters the sun vaguely filtered through ancient skylights that had--at one time--been clear. Birds even nested up there, sneaking in through a broken pane of glass for generations.

Erwin was not a dedicated weight lifter. He worked out on the machines in the gym in the basement of his building but rarely hit the actual free weights. Here at this old gym there were a few modern-ish machines but it was mostly old-school stuff; free weights, bench press, etc. The gym had trained boxers in the 30s and had never let go of that tradition. The square ring still stood in the center of the space and a few wannabes sparred there daily.

Since Erwin didn't frequent the gym he’d never seen any actual competition boxing. He knew they happened but it had never really sunk into his busy brain. Today was Friday, though, and tonight was fight night. Erwin slipped through the excited crowd to the relative quiet of the locker room.

“Hey, Erwin! What are you doing slumming it here?”

Erwin turned.

“Mike!”

The tall man grinned as he approached Erwin. Even at his statuesque 6’2” Erwin had to look up at his best friend. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Mike scratched at his sandy goatee. “I’m here to box.”

“Box? I knew you sparred, but actual boxing?”

“Yup. They have amateur boxing on Fridays and then on Saturdays let the real boxers get out there.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

“Of course it is!” Mike grinned, “It’s mostly grudge-matches with a lot of betting. Make sure you put some money on me tonight.”

Erwin rubbed the back of his neck, “I’m just here to work out.”

“Oh, but you’ll love the match I’m in tonight! It’s a lawyer.”

“A boxing lawyer? OK, this I gotta see.”

Mike pounded him on the back in a friendly fashion. “Yep, and he’s a real pissant, too. I look forward to beating his ass.”

While the growing crowd--Erwin was startled at the number of people who stuffed themselves into the gym for this event--milled around, drank BYOB alcohol hidden in their coats, placed bets, and were generally jovially loud, Erwin quietly lifted his weights. After an hour it looked like the show was about to begin and Erwin was satisfyingly tired. He ducked into the locker room for a quick shower and waved to Mike who was getting gloved up.

He saw no sign of Mike’s opponent.

Erwin shouldered his way close to ringside. In the old building, he could easily have been shot back through time to the 30s. The crowd was thick and mostly drunk and a pall of cigarette and cigar smoke hung in the air over everything. Take a picture in black and white and the effect would be complete. Soon the mass of people quieted for a second then hummed in excitement as an announcer stepped into the ring. Erwin, who was being fascinated by the people pressing around him, didn’t hear the announcement of the rules and the contenders.

Slowly there was a palpable pause in the crowd. They seemed stunned, then, suddenly, there were roars of laughter, hooting, and furious exchanges of money. The boxers were in the ring.

Erwin looked up, not having to strain because of his height, and saw a grinning Mike waving to the lookers-on. Erwin searched for Mike’s rival. At first, he didn’t see the man. Then, following the laughing and pointing of the crowd he made him out.

He was ridiculously tiny. Compared to Mike, the height difference was absurd. Erwin sucked in his breath in dismay. Both the other boxer and Mike wore protective headgear, but Erwin would have known that arrogant stance anywhere.

It was Levi Ackerman.

  
  


The bell rang; the referee had begun the fight. Erwin was still in a state of shock. The perfectly put together lawyer from downstairs was a  _ boxer _ ? Really? Erwin recalled the immaculately pressed shirts, the inky hair that fell stylishly over his grey eyes, smoothly lotioned skin and Chapsticked lips. Now Levi was tense and bouncing on his toes, hair already damp and clinging to his forehead and a thin sheen of perspiration over his skin. Erwin chewed his lower lip and watched the mismatched pair circle each other. 

Boxers generally came in two flavors; strong, and quick. Mike was strong, Levi was clearly quick. While he wasted no movement, he flitted around Mike like a hummingbird whilst Mike resembled a lumbering titan following Levi around the ring.

Levi started things off, darting forward to hammer Mike in the ribs then twisting away before the larger man could react. They exchanged a few punches then grappled. The referee separated them. Bouncing on their toes, still fresh, they each landed a few face blows, Levi having to reach to the full lengths of his arms to even get to Mike’s face, but Levi always returned to the rib hits. It was clear that the smaller man was strong for his size, you could hear the pained grunts from Mike every time his sides got abused. It was a fearsome waltz; Levi dancing up to Mike and delivering a few hits and Mike coming after him, trying to catch him to retaliate. It was a mosquito against a grasshopper. The back and forth carried on with neither getting in too many really effective blows; a jab here, a hook there. Levi would crowd in and pound Mike’s ribs and Mike would parry with some attempts at Levi’s head. Finally, Levi mistimed an assault and Mike managed a good roundhouse. Levi staggered back. For a moment Erwin thought he would fall but he never did, he just shook his head like a wet cat and jumped back into the fight.

Mike was beginning to tire--Erwin could see it--from having to chase Levi around the ring.

Levi was slowing down as well. The horrendous head blow had taken a bit out of him. He was slick with sweat now, his porcelain skin almost glowing in the smoky atmosphere, his lips pulled back in a grimace over his mouthguard. Despite the protective headgear, one of Mike’s gloved fists had made contact with his face. Blood trickled from his nose and down over his lip. 

Erwin was shocked at the brutality that was boxing, shocked that these two intelligent, good-looking, professional men would consent to being battered by each other in this primitive display. That he knew them both made it more difficult. Mike was his best friend from childhood, and Levi, if nothing else, was a professional associate and Erwin just wanted to climb into the ring and prise them apart, stop this madness. It was primal and visceral, two men battling each other with their fists, and it gave Erwin strange feelings. It was horrifying and thrilling in equal measure and not a little arousing. He couldn’t bring himself to approve.

Except. Except for the expression on Levi’s face. Erwin could see his steely eyes glittering. 

_ He was enjoying this. _

As the match went on, Levi never gave up his tactic of whaling at Mike’s ribs and there was just only so much the big man could take. Levi was just too small, too quick. He could get in under Mike’s arms and pound him then dart away.

That’s not to say that Mike didn’t get some licks in but the damage was too one-sided and finally, Levi delt an uppercut that took the big man down.

People were angry. They were really angry. Erwin could hear the murmurs and disgruntled conversations about the fight. Erwin tried to ignore them as he was just concerned about Mike but they were hard to miss. No one thought Levi should have won that fight. No one had thought Levi  _ would  _ win.

Erwin used his bulk to push past the crowd of people surrounding Mike in the locker room. He was sitting up and looked good, in fact, he was smiling. As Erwin reached his side, Mike’s loss was evident all over him. His right side had a bruise the size of a dessert plate and one eye was ringed in purple. He grinned nonetheless.

“Erwin! Did you see?”

“I saw you get your behind kicked.”

“Heh … I held up pretty well. I’ve been wanting to fight that guy for ages! Let me introduce you. Levi!”

The smaller man had just come from the showers and his pale skin was glistening with water. He wore nothing but a small towel that hung loosely around his narrow hips. Erwin swallowed thickly.

“Levi, meet my friend, Erwin Smith.”

Levi made no move to step forward or shake hands. His grey eyes still glittered.

“We, ah … we’ve already met,” said Erwin, rubbing his palms down his pant legs.

“Oh, yeah?” Mike said.

“He works in the fancy-ass law firm on the top floor of the building I just moved my office into,” Levi said.

“Ohhh, rivals,” said Mike, “Maybe you should take him on in the ring, Erwin.”

The thought of ‘taking Levi on’ made very inappropriate images pop into Erwin’s head. He struggled to suppress them.

“Yeah, fucking right,” Levi said, turning his back to them to rummage in his locker.

Mike stood and handed the ice pack that he’d been holding to his ribs back to his trainer. “Well, I’m gonna go shower. You two play nice now,” he said with a leer.

Erwin frowned at him. When he turned his attention back to Levi the other had already pulled on his nylon boxers but still had his back to him. Erwin took a shameless moment to admire that back. Levi’s shoulders were broad and muscular and his hips narrow. He was very lean, making all his muscles stand out in stark relief. Erwin knew that he could never, ever, in a million years take this little man down in the boxing ring.

“I could take you,” Erwin said tilting his chin up.

Levi turned, tucking his own chin down and staring at Erwin through his ridiculously thick black lashes. “Yeah?”

Erwin found himself swallowing again. Stupid spit. “Yeah.”

Levi stepped up to him and Erwin was forced to look sharply downwards; there was a foot difference in their height. For a long moment Levi just looked up at him, hands on his hips, then he poked him rudely in the belly. “With all this?” he asked, the ghost of a smile playing over his lips.

Erwin retreated, covering his belly. “I’m in excellent shape! I work out!”

“Oh, your shape is good, Number Cruncher, but you could  _ not _ take me.” Now, quit flirting,” he said, retrieving his undershirt out of his locker, “ I’ll see ya ’round you big-ass tree.”


	4. The Accountant

Erwin would have never admitted (even to himself) that just seeing Levi on a Monday and knowing he had fought the preceding Friday turned him on. As soon as he saw a Dolce and Gabbana suit in charcoal grey on a smaller-than-average man his nostrils flared in interest and his eyes keenly followed Levi’s trim figure all the way to the elevator. 

Erwin was conflicted. It was clear to him that he had some sort of feelings for Levi but was it like or dislike? True he was attractive and fascinating but also true was that he was a vulgar, brash, hard-headed, and very successful lawyer who … looked great in just his underpants.

Erwin sighed and swiped one big palm down his face. Oh hell, his feelings were a jumble.

  
  
  


Erwin, unlike Levi who was up at 5:30 every morning, usually woke at 7:00 so when his phone buzzed on the nightstand at 6am he was startled awake. He groped for the phone trying to ungum his eyes enough to see the time and the caller. He clapped the phone to his ear.

“Nile?”

Erwin slowly sat up on the side of the bed. “What?  _ What?! Seriously?  _ That’s great!  __ When did you find out?” He agitatedly scratched at one bristly cheek. “A week ago? And you’re calling me at 6 am today to tell me?” Erwin laughed; a tight, choked sound. “Yeah. Yeah. I understand. Well, damn. Congratulations, man. Yeah, OK, bye.”

Erwin sat on the edge of his bed, phone in hand, eyes unfocussed. He didn’t know what to think. He knew he couldn’t go back to sleep. He stood. 

For a moment he just swayed there, thinking. Well, he had to do  _ something _ or he would go bonkers. Perhaps a good workout?

He had to work things out in his mind and the perfect stimulus was hard exercise. He couldn’t stand the thought of seeing his neighbors in the apartment’s basement workout room. He was going to the old gym.

Erwin relished the chilly walk to the gym in the brisk breeze and darkness that morning. It woke him up and made his befuddled brain a bit clearer. The gym opened at five and sure enough, a couple of young women were sparring in the ring already. Otherwise, the place seemed fairly empty.

The old locker room was small and had limited lockers but there were plenty at this time of the morning. Erwin picked one out and was approaching it.

_ “Oh, you are shitting me!” _

Erwin flinched in the act of putting his gym bag down. He didn’t even turn.  _ Please not Levi Ackerman. Not now. _

“I can’t even have my gym to myself? Are you fucking stalking me?” Levi demanded from behind him.

Erwin was in no mood for it today. “I’ll have you know that I’ve been coming to this gym for years,” he said to his gym bag.

“I’ve never seen you except the other day.”

“I usually come on the weekends.” Erwin snapped.

Erwin ignored Levi after that and began taking his clothes off angrily.

Levi fell silent behind him. Was he actually repentant about barking at Erwin? Or just able to tell that Erwin was in a mood?

Erwin peeled off his sweatshirt and t-shirt and was yanking at the string in his sweatpants when he realized that Levi still stood behind him, quiet. He glanced over his shoulder and hesitated. Levi was stark naked except for a pair of nylon boxers that fit him so closely that Erwin could clearly make out the outline of his cock. Erwin totally lost his train of thought.

He blushed and couldn’t help his own eyes. This was the third time he’d seen the lawyer almost unclothed--what was up with that? Were the gods conspiring against him?--and his gaze traveled over Levi’s lean, strong body and down his muscular legs.

Levi, who noticed--as indicated by a spot of pink high up on each cheekbone--ducked his head and ran a hand absently across his chest hair. The motion made Erwin wonder what it felt like. Would it be coarse, or soft, like the hair on his head looked?

Erwin shook his head. What the hell was he thinking? Yes, the irritating little man was attractive but that didn’t excuse his pissy behavior.

Erwin took a deep breath. “Look, I’m angry today and you’re angry … pretty much always, so, let’s just not speak, OK?”

That seemed to take Levi aback and he stood silent. After a pause, he answered.

“Whatever, Dickhead. But don’t tell me what to do. You don’t own this gym.” 

Levi had turned away, toward his locker when his phone rang and he dug in his bag for it, cursing.

“Hello? Oh hi, darling. You still on for tonight?”

Erwin frowned.

“Yeah, I’ll pick you up in the lobby at eight.” Levi’s gaze strayed to Erwin and he smirked. “Don’t let any of those fuckers from S and D see you.”

He hung up.

“Who was that?” Erwin asked. Levi remained silent, still smirking. 

“Was that Kirsten? Kirsten Johannson?  _ Our _ PA? Red-head?”

Levi shrugged elaborately. “Might be. I didn’t catch her name.”

Suddenly Erwin had had enough and his emotions bubbled over. 

“How can you  _ use  _ people like that?” he spat.

Levi squinted up at him. 

“ _ Use _ them?”

Erwin grew red under Levi’s scrutiny. “Yes, use them. You just jump in the sack then toss them aside!”

Levi shrugged. “They have fun, too.” He turned back toward his locker, the conversation apparently over. Erwin clenched and unclenched his fists a couple of times as the silence crept by. “Some of those people probably hope it’ll be serious!”

Levi slowly turned back toward him. Levi had a habit, a bad one, Erwin thought, of tucking his chin and looking at a person out from under his lashes. It was a sultry look and disarming. He let his gaze slowly travel up and down Erwin’s tall frame. “Do you know of anyone, specifically, who thinks that?”

Erwin smoothed his shirt and cleared his throat, shuffling on the spot.

“Didn’t think so,” Levi said. He turned back to his locker and began pulling on a starched, pale blue, dress shirt.

Erwin couldn’t help himself. He was suddenly desperate to express himself. Especially after the news he’d had. He had to tell Levi what he was thinking, what he’d thought for a while. He had to tell someone. Why Levi? He didn’t know, but he had to.

“Listen, Levi. You’ve got to let yourself be vulnerable. Open up to somebody. It’s like the fighting. You fight to make up for love. It gives you a way to  _ feel  _ something. All those lovers you take don’t do a thing for you. They’re just a quick pleasure. You need love.”

“What the fuck, Dickhead?” Levi’s cheeks had flushed to red. “Are you sure you’re talking about me and not yourself?” he pulled on his trousers and sat to yank his socks on. “Mind your own business! Where’d all this deep feely shit come from anyway?” Levi’s polished shoes followed his socks and he stood. “Anyway, people like me don’t fall in love.” Levi snatched up his soiled workout clothes and stuffed them into a drawstring bag with a snarl of disgust. “People like me don’t get a ‘happily ever after’.” He exited the locker room quickly. Erwin sprang after him.

“Wait, Levi …” He grabbed the other man’s arm.

Levi immediately shrugged him off and stared at him. Erwin knew how Levi hated to be touched. “... fucking sweaty hands on me!”

Erwin snatched the offending hand away. “But, Levi …”

“What?” Levi stopped in the doorway.

“Why not?” Erwin asked. “Why not you?”

Levi shrugged. “You don’t know anything about me, Erwin Smith.” 

He turned and left.

  
  
  


Levi was pouring the last bit of tea out of the pot when Erwin walked into the same hole-in-the-wall cafe they both favored. “Fuck, I can’t have anything nice, can I?” he muttered to himself. He watched the tall man walk through the tiny cafe, speaking to patrons and staff alike. “Well, what a social butterfly,” Levi said, frowning.

Erwin finally found a seat and Levi watched him over the rim of his tea-cup. Did he know Levi was there? Erwin placed his order and then did something strange. Levi expected him to continue socializing, to snap open the newspaper, or whip out some work and complete it at the table like he normally did. But he did none of these things. He just sat, gazing out the window. He didn’t even look like he was people watching. He had his chin on his hand and was looking almost … melancholy.

Levi watched him, hiding behind his teacup, and, unbidden, the memory of what Erwin had said to him in the locker room came flooding back.  _ What had gotten into the big man?  _ One day they were ragging on each other and hate-flirting and then … that. _ What the hell? Had something happened? Why had he been talking about  _ love  _ of all things? _

The waitress hurried toward Erwin. Levi straightened and looked expectantly. He would use Erwin’s customary fancy coffee order as ammunition in future conversations; half-caff, soy milk, low foam, something or oth--

It wasn’t coffee.

Levi stared. Erwin took a sip and closed his eyes briefly. He had a mustache of chocolaty brown foam. He had gotten hot chocolate. As Levi watched he resumed looking out the window and licked the residue off of his upper lip. Levi shivered involuntarily at the swipe of pink tongue.

_ Jesus, what had gotten into him? Probably that stupid shit Erwin was spouting at the gym. _

Levi threw the tip down on the table and strode out the door.

  
  
  


It wasn’t long until Levi and Erwin found themselves on the elevator alone together again. Neither said anything to the other but stood in silence, Erwin in the back and Levi by the doors. They were stiff as two statues, deliberately not speaking to one another.

About halfway down the elevator shuddered to a halt between floors.

“Goddamned, son of a  _ bitch _ !” Levi said, “Not a-fucking-gain!” He stepped up to the gate and pounded on it with one fist. “Fucking hurry up and get us out of here, Weilmann!” He stood a moment as if listening for a reply then turned. “Fuck! Should’ve taken the stairs.”

Levi set his briefcase down hard and shoved both hands into his pockets. There was a sound. A sort of low, choked sound and Levi realized that Erwin had not spoken or moved since he’d stepped into the elevator with him. He stood for a moment, confused, frowning up at the man. There was something the matter. Erwin wasn’t just ignoring Levi.

_ Had he made that noise? What was wrong with him? _

Erwin stood hunched, head down, arms drawn up, his calfskin attache--dyed the color of a good merlot--on the floor, overturned, spilling papers. He appeared to be in pain.

Levi stepped unthinkingly closer to him. “Hey … uh, Erwin?”

That painful, sobbing sound came again. It  _ was _ Erwin. 

Erwin abruptly wiped his nose along his sleeve, a disarmingly childish gesture. Levi’s jaw dropped and not just because it was a $3000 Armani suit; Erwin’s cheeks were wet.

Levi had absolutely no idea what to do. He stood frozen for a moment then rocked back and forth from foot to foot. Should he speak to Erwin again? Touch him?

He could see the other man’s shoulders shaking and his fists clenching and unclenching. Whatever it was, it was bad. Was this the thing that had made him so weird the past few days?

_ What should he do? _

Levi could hear distant voices from below, probably Weilmann working on getting the lift going. Tentatively Levi reached out toward Erwin. He hesitated. He was not a touchy-feely person. His first instinct was to tug at Erwin’s sleeve. Instead, he laid a hand on the other man’s arm.

Erwin jerked and Levi snatched his hand away.

“What are you do … doing?” Erwin asked, blinking.

Levi opened his mouth, closed it. “You seemed upset.”

Erwin wiped his face again with the sleeve of his suit and sniffed. “I’m fine.”

Levi, at a loss, bent and began shuffling the papers together that had escaped from Erwin’s attache. He very carefully re-inserted them into the satchel and straightened, offering it up.

Erwin took it and managed a tight smile. “Thank you.”

Both men turned to face the elevator doors. There was a long silence, like taffy stretching out. Finally, it stiffened and broke.

“Forgive me for that,” Erwin said. He shifted his attache from one hand to the other. “I  _ was _ upset.”

Levi glanced back at him. Aside from a bit of redness around the eyes, you’d never know the other man had been so distraught. “No problem.”

The sound of clanking and cursing filtered up the elevator shaft. Levi bounced on his toes and fiddled with the change in his pocket. He was considering pounding on the doors again when Erwin spoke.

“Nile’s wife, Marie, is pregnant.”

“That’s bad news?” Levi asked, puzzled.

Erwin stared at the seam between the wall and the floor so intently that Levi wasn’t sure he’d heard him.

“Marie used to be my fiance,” Erwin said finally, faintly.

Levi stared at him.

“She left me a year ago.” Erwin took out a snowy white handkerchief and hastily wiped his nose. “For Nile.” He looked up at Levi with eyes as bright and fierce as blue lasers. “That was supposed to be  _ my _ family.”

Levi couldn’t tear his gaze away from Erwin’s. That was … horrible. Your fiance running off with your friend and now she’s pregnant. Levi wondered if Erwin had always wanted a family. He was sure the man was bisexual. Would he be just as happy with another man and maybe adopting kids?

Now, that was a weird thought. What had made Levi--who was not a family type guy--think of all that?

But he had feelings. Deep-seated feelings in his chest and gut that  _ hurt _ . Like a physical hurt. Just thinking about how hurt Erwin would be.  _ Why was he even thinking this? Why did it matter? He didn’t care. He didn’t give a fuck. _ Except he did.

The elevator shuddered and both men grabbed for the rails along the walls. It squeaked and shuddered again and then began to move.

Erwin tucked the handkerchief out of sight and cleared his throat. Levi faced the doors.

“Thank fuck. It’s about time!”

When they got to the lobby Levi exited with just a brief, concerned, backward glance. Erwin stared after him and sighed quietly.

  
  
  


Friday -

It was stupid late to still be at work, around nine o’clock, and Erwin had been drinking since Keith and Nile and everyone else had left. He was wandering around the office, bumping into walls and looking cross-eyed at the articles in frames that Nile had hung on the wall. He was just staring at the picture of him and Nile with Levi in the background when he heard someone in the stairwell.

_ Who could that be this late?  _ Even the cleaning crew was gone.  _ Was it Levi? And was he going up to the … roof? _

Erwin immediately tacked unsteadily toward the stairs. He was just in time to hear the door to the roof click shut. He began to climb. At the top Erwin tried the door and it refused to open. He frowned, he was sure Levi had come up this way. In his drunken stupor, it never occurred to him that it might not be Levi. 

He pushed harder and the door abruptly came unstuck with a crack. Erwin stumbled out onto the graveled roof and Levi--who  _ was _ out there--froze, startled, staring at him.

Erwin attempted to gather his composure and pulled at the bottom of his vest, making it even more crooked. He looked unsteadily over at Levi.

Levi, who had a half-finished lit cigarette in his hand acted as if he was looking for a place to hide it. After a moment he gave up.

Erwin staggered out onto the gravel of the roof. For for a second he craned his neck back and stared owlishly at the stars. Levi just watched him, wide-eyed. After a moment he took a drag at his cigarette.

Eventually, Erwin focussed blearily on Levi, again.

"Whatchoo doin' up here?"

Levi let out a stream of smoke. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm drunk!" Erwin announced.

"I can see that. What's the occasion?"

"No okay ... okay-shun. Just my life. It sucks." 

Levi, who still didn't know how to react to the other man breaking down in the elevator, remained quiet.

Erwin walked carefully toward where Levi sat. Levi scooted over for him.

Erwin sat heavily down.

Levi took another drag off his cig and politely blew the smoke away from Erwin. “You wouldn’t happen to have any more of whatever you got drunk on?”

Erwin fumbled in his jacket for a moment and finally emerged with a half-drunk pint of Wild Turkey. He handed it to Levi who took a swig and grimaced.

“I’d never have taken you for a Wild Turkey man. More like Maker’s Mark.”

“Got the first thing I saw,” Erwin explained, running his fingers through his hair and completely undoing his careful blonde coif. Levi thought it was kind of endearing though, those blond strands falling into Erwin’s bright blue eyes.

For several silent moments, the two of them just sat and passed the bottle back and forth. There was a faint breeze that took Levi’s cigarette smoke away and the sky was cloudless.

Levi glanced sidelong at Erwin. He was sniffling suspiciously and wiping at his nose. Levi had to reason with him before he broke down entirely again. Levi went about it in his normal straightforward way.

“This is about … what’s her name? Mary?”

“Marie.”

Levi took a last deep inhale of the cig and crushed the butt into the gravel. He carefully picked up the butt and wrapped it in a napkin and put it in his pocket. He turned to face the other man.

“Erwin, do you still love her?” 

“Of course I love her! I’ll always love her!”

“But do you  _ love her, _ love her?” 

Erwin actually held his breath for a moment. “Well, not romaclitity … romanclicty …  _ romantically _ . I never--” he hiccuped, “‘scuse me--loved her like that.”

“Well, there you go.”

“But … I want a family so badly, Levi. Where’s my family?” He sniffled again, “I’m 36 years old. I have no one to go ho-home t-to.”

Erwin’s plaintive tone and distraught face frankly broke Levi’s heart

“Erwin you’ll find somebody for you, somebody you truly love, and you can … can have a … family”

Erwin started to tear up again. “You think?”

Levi nodded sincerely, “I do.”

“But what if I fall for a guy?”

“Do you know how many kids there are out there who need homes? I do. I was almost put into the system when my mother died.”

Erwin’s eyes went round. “Your mom died? Mine did too. I was 12. How old were you?”

“I’m not sure. Around four.” Levi opened the pint of whiskey and drank down a huge gulp.

Erwin suddenly put the pieces together, remembering that Levi had never known his father. If his mom had died when he was four then he must have been foisted off on distant relatives, people who may have just as well been strangers to him.

“Hell, I’m sorry,” Erwin whispered.

Levi shrugged. They both took another swig off of the bottle.

Erwin snuffled a bit and wiped his nose repeatedly on his shirt sleeve

“You’ve always been mean to me. I don’t even know why you’re being nice to me now.”

Levi shrugged again.

Erwin studied the bottle of bourbon gravely.

“It’s because you’re a good guy,” he said with finality. “Up under all of that …” Erwin gestured sloppily, “...  _ Levi-ness _ , you’re a good guy.”

Abruptly Erwin leaned unsteadily close. Levi didn’t pull back but stared at him curiously. He wondered if the man was about to pass out on him.

Then Erwin kissed him.

Levi hadn’t been expecting it. Erwin’s lips were soft and hot and tasted of Wild Turkey. And then it was over and Erwin suddenly stood up. After a moment of getting his balance, he headed for the door off of the roof. Just before he opened it he turned to Levi.

“Thank you.”

Levi traced one lip with his finger and wondered if the man was even aware that he’d just kissed someone, let alone him.


	5. The Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sincerest apologies my wonderful readers! I have been without internet for SEVEN DAYS (yes it was HELL) and so I am behind in posting. Please forgive me! I'm posting Ch 3 or 'Spy' and Ch 5 of 'Lonely at the Top' and then will resume the regular posting schedule starting tomorrow (Spy on Sun and Wed, LaaT on Mon and Fri) Thank you for your patience!

Erwin stepped out from under the awning on the front of the Cornerstone and turned right. He intended to walk home. It was Friday and Erwin knew that Levi had been at the gym, fighting. Erwin would like to have been there too but work had kept him stupidly late. He was disappointed to have missed the fights. They both bemused and delighted him. He hated seeing two men beat the tar out of each other but he loved it too; the slick, bare flesh, the smell of sweat and testosterone, the sound of the crowd, the grunts as the blows landed. Erwin took a deep breath and guiltily cleared away such thoughts.

He had been avoiding Levi lately anyway since the roof-top. He wasn’t sure what all he had said to Levi but he was fairly sure it had to have been embarrassing. First the elevator and then the roof-top? Erwin’s cheeks burnt at the memories.

He began walking. It was densely foggy out, the streetlights were just high, fuzzy balls of dim light and the street itself seemed as dark as if they weren’t on.

Erwin pulled his coat closer around his body. It was getting chilly and the damp didn’t help. And all this creepy fog. His apartment building was only 11 blocks away, though. He wondered if Levi had walked home. That would be like him. 

The walk wasn’t too unpleasant and he had just reached the block where he needed to turn onto his own side of the street when he heard a noise. 

It was footsteps, heading away from him. They were very unsteady and stopped and started.

Erwin paused and stared, trying to see something in the oppressive fog. The sounds had come from ahead of him, from an alley. Was someone in distress? The whole thing with the fog and the darkness was disturbingly like being in a thriller movie. 

_ Don’t be stupid. _ Erwin thought and moved forward. He made out the faint form of a man, sagging against the building.

_ A homeless person, maybe?  _

Erwin drew closer. The man in question stood with his head down, his hair hanging in his face and one hand braced on the brick. The man’s diminutive size and pitch-black hair gave him away. It was Levi. He made a guttural noise and Erwin realized he was spitting onto the ground. The spit was bright red.

_ What is this? Had he been hurt in tonight’s fight and didn’t tell anyone? Is that … blood? _

Erwin approached Levi warily. 

“Levi?” Erwin put a hand on Levi’s arm. Levi immediately turned, a bloody snarl pasted on his face. Erwin recoiled with a low sound.

Levi’s finely boned face was badly battered and dark patches of purple stood out under both eyes. His left jaw was swollen and discolored. Sticky blood covered his upper lip and trickled from his nose. Both lips were split and bleeding as well.

“Jesus, Levi!” Erwin gripped the man by both elbows and for a moment he weighed heavily in his arms. “Jesus Christ! What happened?”

“What are you doing, asshole?” Levi snapped, weakly trying to loose himself from Erwin’s grip, “Leave me alone. I don’t need your help!” His speech was slurred and he sprayed blood on the ‘P’’. He began to sag again, slipping down the brick wall, ending up sitting on the cold, damp sidewalk. Erwin crouched next to him. With his free hand, Erwin carefully picked away the stray strands of black hair that hung in Levi’s eyes. His face was a mess. “Oh, jeez, Levi, oh god!”

Erwin slung an arm around him, attempting to lift him up, and Levi hissed in pain, balling up on himself.

“What? What is it?”

“Ribs,” Levi said, spraying blood.

“How’re we going to get you home?”

“Don’t do me any fa-favors, Blondie. It’s just one more block.” Levi gestured vaguely with one hand and Erwin saw that the knuckles were bruised, split, and bleeding.

Levi’s head started to nod.

“No, no … don’t pass out. Levi?”

“What, Dickhead?”

“Stay awake. Talk to me. You had a match tonight?”

“I did and you’re an idiot,” Levi mumbled, eyes fluttering.

“Levi! Talk to me!”

Levi slowly came awake. “Fuck you … there ... I talked to you.”

“Levi …”

“The fuck, dude?”

“What happened?”

“None of your business.”

“You can’t fight opponents who are twice your size, Levi! You just got lucky with Mike …”

“Fuck you, again! I did just fine against your giraffe butt-buddy!”

“Levi …”

“Moron!” Levi snarled, bracing his hands on the brick behind himself and struggling to stand. Erwin slung an arm around his shoulders to help him. Levi shrugged him off and faced Erwin shakily. “You think this happened in the  _ ring _ ?! Do you think one man with  _ gloves _ on did this?” Levi gestured at his battered face.

Erwin stood silent, confused. “But …”

“I had a little altercation on the way home from the gym.” Levi finally admitted. “Some people weren’t happy with the outcome of the match.” He sighed and leaned against the brick behind him.

Erwin’s jaw dropped. He remembered the angry talk after Levi’s match with Mike. Levi rubbed at his upper lip and his hand came away red. He grimaced in disgust.

“Did … did you contact the police?”

Levi snorted. “And tell them what? That three fucking idiots jumped me and I defended myself?” He gingerly laid a hand on his ribs, “Fucking god, this hurts.”

“You beat up … three guys?”

“They were three  _ stupid _ guys if that makes you feel better.” Levi blinked slowly. “Fuck, my head feels …” 

And he was sliding down again. Erwin did the only thing he could think to do; he picked Levi bodily up and headed down the block.

  
  


Levi woke in his own bed with Sophie curled against his ear. As soon as he woke up she began a deep, booming purr that vibrated his skull.

He couldn’t for the life of him remember how he had actually gotten there, in bed. He remembered fighting at the gym, an excellent match with a tall, fit young man with entirely too much confidence for his own good. Despite the overwhelming odds with the bets placed, Levi won handily. Many a first-timer to the fights had gone home poorer that evening.

Levi tried to sit up and pain shot through his skull and his ribs felt as if they had been sledgehammered. He laid back until his head stopped spinning and then focussed with some difficulty on his nightstand. There was a glass of water, a glass of orange juice, four ibuprofen, and two pieces of toast. The butter on the toast looked suspiciously as if it had received the attentions of a cat.

Who the hell had done all of this? Had he called hange? Levi rolled awkwardly, groaning in pain, and grabbed the ibuprofen and the orange juice, downed them both, and massaged his aching skull. As soon as he dropped his hands from his temples he saw the bruises and split skin on his knuckles--sure sign of a bare-knuckled fight--and his memory came flooding back.

He remembered the fight in the ring and he remembered the fight in the alley and he remembered …

“Oh, no. No, no, no.” Levi hugged his cat. “Tell me it isn’t true, Soph. Tell me Erwin fucking Smith didn’t bring me home last night, oh christ.” Sophie purred adoringly.

Levi laid flat on his back for a bit, feeling anger and embarrassment at the whole Erwin Smith thing. Finally, he stirred. “Gotta piss, Soph,” he said, groaning as he moved. “Might have to crawl …”

The bedroom door swung inward at that moment and Levi almost wet the bed.

“What the everloving fuck?!”

It was Erwin. And he was wearing Levi’s  _ apron _ .

See, Levi loved to cook and often indulged in carefully prepared meals made just for himself. It was his life. His kitchen. His  _ apron _ .

“What are you still doing here you fucker and why are you wearing my apron?!”

Erwin’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Do you have to go to the bathroom?”

Levi squirmed uncomfortably. “Get the fuck out of my house!”

Erwin crossed his arms over his chest. “Can you make it to the toilet yourself?”

“Of course I can fucktard! Just watch me.” Levi gently pushed Sophie off and attempted to slither to the edge of the bed. His head immediately swam. “Oh, fuck …” He recovered and scooted further and promptly fell off of the bed. “Ow, ow, ow!” he curled in on himself on the floor, holding his ribs.

Erwin sighed and came toward him. “Here let me help you.”

“Fuck--ow--off.”

“Levi, you’re upsetting Sophie.”

Levi looked instinctively at the cat who was perched on the edge of the duvet looking down at him and purring. “How the hell do you know her name?”

“It’s written on everything, her collar, her bowls, her bed …”

“Oh, yeah.”

“So can I help you before you relieve yourself onto the floor?”

Levi grimaced irritably and scrabbled about for a second, testing to see if he could drag himself to the bathroom. No dice. It hurt like hell and his head went all swimmy. “Fine,” he told Erwin.

In the bathroom, it was awkward as Erwin had to stand behind Levi and hold him up while he urinated. “Don’t look, you fucking pervert.” Levi said, “And when we’re done, wash your hands and take my fucking apron off. As a matter of fact, wash it. On hot. With bleach.”

After Levi finished and scrubbed up (Erwin was amused and a little concerned that Levi had a nail brush that he vigorously used as if he was preparing to go into surgery,) it was a very slow walk back to the bed.

“Why the fucking fuck do my ribs hurt so bad?”

“Well, the doctor said--”

“Doctor? You called a doctor here? I can’t afford that!”

“I paid for it myself,” Erwin said, fluffing Levi’s pillows.

Levi apparently couldn’t find anything to say to that.

“The doctor said that you have three cracked ribs, two on one side, and one on the other.” He looked soberly at Levi. “I know you won the fight, Levi. Both fights. I read in the paper about them finding the guys in the alleyway, but they still did a number on you.”

Levi gingerly pulled his covers over himself. “Ah, fuck off. I’m OK.”

“Levi, you just had to have help to urinate.”

“Who says ‘urinate’?! It’s piss! I pissed!”

Erwin gave him a look and Levi subsided into a disgruntled silence. He stroked Sophie. “So what happens now?”

“Do you have anyone you trust to come help you? Dr. Zoe maybe? It’d be nice to have a doctor here.”

Levi snorted then grimaced and held his ribs.

“She’s a molecular biologist, not an MD, and she never gets any time off work. Crazy woman is in her lab all the fucking time.” 

Erwin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “So, either I hire you a total stranger to take care of you or I do it myself.”

Levi looked alarmed. “A stranger, here?”

“Levi, you have lovers up here all the time.”

“That’s different,” Levi grumbled.

There was a long silence. 

“Your call, Levi.”

Time spun itself out as Levi chewed his lip. Erwin moved toward the door. “Let me know what you decide.” Erwin made it almost out into the hall.

“Why?” Levi asked suddenly, quietly, from the bed. He picked at the duvet. “Why are you doing this?”

Erwin paused with his hand on the doorknob. He didn’t turn around. “I thought maybe we could be friends.”

Levi suddenly remembered Erwin's lips, hot and soft on his own, and wondered if Erwin did. 

  
  



	6. The Past

Levi’s recovery could be fairly rapid, he just needed a few weeks to get back on his feet. If he’d take it easy, in three weeks he could be fit for work. 

As Erwin could have predicted, though, Levi refused to rest. He insisted that he only needed a week to recover fully. He demanded that Erwin go to his offices and get various case files and had his PA, Petra, bring him boxes of papers.

Both his own firm’s employees and Erwin’s firm sent flowers and expressed admiration and awe over Levi’s ‘heroic act’ of defending himself from ‘random hoodlums’. When the flowers arrived, Erwin brought them in to Levi.

“Aren’t they gorgeous? Where shall I put them?”

“In the trash,” Levi said, not even looking up from his papers. “They’re probably full of bugs anyway.”

Erwin put one in the hall and one in the kitchen. He’d enjoy them if Levi wouldn’t.

Two hours later Levi was pawing through piles of paperwork.

“The fuck? I can’t find anything!”

Erwin gave a long-suffering sigh. “Of course you can. Just look. Here’s the folder and here are the affidavits.”

“Oh.”

“Is this what you’re going to be like when you’re old?” Erwin asked. Levi stared at him.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them both.

Levi recovered first. He fiddled with his pen. “It’s not like you’ll be around when I’m old, Dickhead,” he said quietly.

Erwin frowned a small frown. “I suppose not.”

Since Erwin lived in the building across the street he didn’t move into Levi’s apartment. He stayed the night on the couch the first two nights then spent the others in his own flat. He hated to admit it but he had quickly established a routine. Levi’s go-to breakfast was two strong cups of black tea loaded with sugar, then he didn't eat until he came home in the evenings. Erwin put a stop to that the next morning. Levi got his tea--he got quite petulant waiting for Erwin to brew it perfectly--but he also got toast, an egg, and three avocado slices. He poked the avocado slices suspiciously, and frowned at the toast, but ate part of the egg. Erwin considered that a win. The next day Erwin went for pancakes. It was clear that Levi had a sweet tooth. Erwin made plain old pancakes and snagged his own dark maple syrup from his apartment. 

“What is this? You’re gonna make me as fat as you are!”

“Number one, I am not fat, number two, you could stand to gain a little weight.” Erwin took a bite of the huge stack of six pancakes that he’d piled onto his plate. Levi prodded his two. 

“What would you be if you boxed professionally? Flyweight?” Erwin asked offhandedly.

“Yeah, yeah, make fun of the short guy, you overstretched mutant!” Levi stabbed angrily at his two pancakes and cut a shapely piece and put it in his mouth. His eyes closed momentarily.

Erwin grinned.  _ He liked them _ .

Levi’s sharp grey eyes opened again and he cut another piece. “I’m a welterweight if you must know.”

“Really?” Erwin was genuinely stunned. Welterweight was, in amateur boxing, 140-147lbs. That was a startling weight for Levi, who stood no more than 5’3” and had shockingly low bodyfat. “Where do you hide all that weight?”

Levi’s face, still multicolored from all the bruises, split into a wicked grin and for a moment Erwin was confused.

Then he got it.

Blushing wildly he tucked into his pancakes and that conversation was over.

  
  
  


Every Friday night was movie night at Levi’s apartment. Even though he had no obligation to abide by work schedules he worked Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (and late into the nights) and took Friday night off to watch streaming movies on the 70-inch television in his bedroom. It was his routine and he was used to it. What he wasn’t used to was having Erwin there.

Erwin had bought Pop Secret movie theatre butter popcorn and had popped it for Levi. Levi, ever suspicious of anything even slightly new, and having never been to an actual theatre (“crammed with gross people! Ew!”) nibbled on it once the film had started, and then he had dug in enthusiastically, only insisting on a warm, damp cloth to wipe his hands on.

“Well, that’s got you set up,” Erwin said, depositing a bottle of cold beer on the nightstand for Levi. “I guess I’ll be getting back to my place.”

“You’re not staying to watch?”

Erwin stared at him.

“Do you want me to?”

Levi shrugged, eyes on the screen. “Is there enough popcorn?”

Erwin grinned.

He sat on the bed with Levi. It was a king-sized bed so they weren’t even remotely close despite King Levi being ensconced in the very center of the headboard, surrounded by pillows, with Queen Sophie on his knee.

Despite the lack of proximity, Erwin blushed a bit at being in Levi’s bed. He squirmed a bit getting comfortable and Levi was oblivious. Levi had just discovered the wonders of Disney+.

“Who the fuck is this guy?” Levi blurted, gesturing with a handful of popcorn.

“That’s Shang. He doesn’t know Mulan is a girl.”

“Well, he’s a fucktard.”

“He gets better.”

Erwin quietly ate his popcorn, happy to just be in Levi’s general vicinity.

“Hah! Asshole! She made it to the top of the pole!” Levi threw popcorn at the screen and Sophie chased after the bits, crunching them up and eating them noisily.

“If you’re gonna be this messy you need a dog. Sophie’s going to get constipated.”

“Ah, she’ll be alright. She eats bugs and shit out on the balcony all the time.” Levi wiped his hands on his cloth. “She got a moth the size of a bird one time. I swear. Ate the whole thing, wings, legs, eyes, everything. It was disgusting. If she could get herself a pigeon, she would.”

Levi continued to stare avidly at the screen and Sophie jumped up on the bed to clean movie theatre butter grease out of her whiskers.

Erwin smiled to himself. He could definitely get used to this. This familiarity. This  _ homeyness _ . He rubbed Sophie fondly and smiled sidelong at Levi’s antics.

“Too much fucking singing in these things,” Levi groused.

  
  


The next day was Saturday and Hange and Levi were sat against the headboard of his bed watching youtube videos of cats. Erwin was putting on a load of clothes and Moblit was making them supper.

“Hey, Erwin,” Hange called “Come see this!”

Erwin obliged and brought in the dried clothes to fold. Levi and Hange were giggling over a lithe black cat on the screen who was jumping six feet up a wall after a laser pointer light.

“Don’t be shy!” Hange said, reaching over Levi and patting the bed. “Sit down with us!” 

Levi wasn’t paying attention--he was watching the screen--and so Erwin sat again on Levi’s bed, gingerly, with his back against the headboard and his stocking feet on the duvet. He began folding towels over his knees. Hange and Levi burst into howls of laughter as a tiny furry kitten raced up a curtain then couldn’t figure out how to get back down.

Levi grimaced and cradled his ribs, “Ow, fuck, it hurts to laugh! No more Hans. I’m in agony!”

“You big baby! Laughter is good for you!”

“Quit poking me with your elbow, you beast!”

“Waah, waah, waah!”

Levi threw a pillow into her face and an impromptu, one-sided, pillow fight began.

Erwin watched the two best friends and smiled, marveling at how out of his shell Levi became day by day.

Erwin stood up. “Gonna go check on Moblit,” he said.

“Bring me another MtDew,’ Hange said, “Please.”

“Yeah that’s just what you need is more sugar and caffeine, you junkie” Levi said, “and could I get another cup of tea?”

“Yesss, Massster,” Erwin said in his best Igor voice.

In the kitchen, Moblit was in a frilly apron that he’d brought from home (he was aware of Levi’s ‘apron thing’) and was stirring a big pot of homemade chili.

“Oh, my god that smells good!”

“Want a taste?” Moblit held up a spoonful.

Erwin tasted. “God! Is that beef?”

“Sausage and beef mixed. It’s extra good with venison, too. We have a friend, Sasha, who hunts.”

Erwin put on the kettle to heat the water for Levi’s tea. He had learned over two weeks how to make it perfectly how Levi liked.

Moblit watched him quietly. “Mind if I ask you a question?”

Erwin nodded.

“What’s up with you and Levi?”

“Up?” Erwin folded the dishtowel extra carefully.

“You know what I mean.” Moblit put the stirring spoon down in the spoon rest (He was a fastidious cook, much to Levi’s delight, and probably the only thing that allowed him to use Levi’s kitchen.) He crossed his arms. “Y’know Erwin, Levi and Hange are a  _ lot _ alike. They can both be rude and abrupt and … clueless.”

Erwin stared at him.

“I know I’m not one to talk, I’ve been in love with Hange since my first summer working with her and I’m pretty sure she has no idea.”

Erwin nodded. That was pretty clear to everyone except Hange. Moblit slowly wiped down a corner of perfectly clean counter.

“Are you in love with Levi?”

Erwin was blindsided.  _ Was he that obvious? Was IT that obvious? Was he even harboring thoughts like that about Levi? _ He was aware he had feelings for the man, I mean who wouldn’t? look at him! 

But the ‘L’ word? Get out of here!

Erwin fidgeted around nervously and Moblit smiled kindly.

“I’m sorry.” he said, “I didn’t mean to spring that on you. Maybe I’m mistaken.”

“We’re just good friends,” Erwin finally blurted out.

“Friends?” Moblit murmured, “all you do is fight. He calls you ‘Dickhead’, Erwin.”

“He and Hange fight all the time too.” Erwin had taken up the dish towel again and was wringing it mercilessly.

“That’s just play-fighting,” Moblit said easily. “You and Erwin are more … hate-flirting.”

Erwin had nothing to say, had nothing he  _ could _ say. He stared down at the abused dishtowel.

Moblit put a hand on his shoulder kindly. “Listen, I’ve known Levi a long time and I know how stand-offish he is. If you want to get closer to him you need to learn more about him. Ask Hange. She knows.”

Later, Erwin and Hange both had dishwashing duty. Erwin screwed up his courage to speak.

“Say, Hange?”

“Hmmm?”

“How long have you known Levi?”

“Since first year of college. Sina U. Go Titans!”

“He told me once that he lost his mom when he was young …”

“Oh, yeah. That’s a sad story.”

“Do you think he would mind if you told me?”

Hange dried a plate and her eyes unfocused behind her thick glasses. “There’s not much to it, really, his mom was a sex worker.”

Erwin’s mouth fell open. “What?”

“Yep. She had to get into it because she had nowhere else to go and was homeless on the streets. That’s why Levi never knew his dad. He was one of her johns.”

Erwin forced his hands to pick up dishes and wash them. He blindly handed a soapy one to Hange to rinse. She went on.

“Well, the short story is that she got sick and died. Levi was about four or so. He sat in the room with her body for several days until his uncle found him.”

Erwin was aghast, almost on the verge of tears. “Oh my god. Oh god, I never knew.”

Hange shrugged.

“Levi’s uncle, Kenny, was a bad sort. He never hurt Levi or anything but he introduced him to crime; drugs, stealing, organized crime, and all the stuff that goes with it.”

Erwin didn’t realize that Moblit had been standing quietly nearby.

“Finally, he almost got caught.” Moblit said, “His uncle went down for extortion, went to prison, and Levi decided to go straight.”

“He took Kenny’s money and enrolled at Sina U.” Hange continued. “I met him right after that. After Nifa.”

Moblit stared at the floor and gently shook his head. “Nifa,” he said sadly.

“Who’s Nifa?” Erwin asked.

Hange patted his arm with a damp hand. “That’s a story we’d better leave to Levi.”

Later that night, after their excellent supper and after Moblit and Hange had left, Levi and Erwin were sat on the bed drinking wine and watching a Captain America marathon.

It had gotten late and they’d run through a bottle of wine and into a second one before they’d even gotten partway through Winter Soldier.

Levi stabbed the air with the remote. “HAH! No way Bucky would have let …”

He trailed off as a soft snore sounded. Levi looked to the left. Erwin was asleep, head leaned onto Levi’s pillows, strands of hair falling across his eyes.

“Hey, Dickhead,” Levi said, but not too loudly.

Erwin snorted softly and resumed snoring.

Levi sighed. He didn’t have the heart to wake the man. Plus Sophie was cuddled in his arms and asleep as well. He dragged the cover up over their sleeping forms, tucking it around Sophie so she’d have enough air. She yawned hugely and crammed the top of her head into the crook of Erwin’s arm.

November 15 - Sunday

When Levi awoke it was to a sensation he had not experienced very much at all in his 32 years: there was someone in bed with him.

Levi got painfully up on one elbow and looked over his shoulder. It was Erwin, dead asleep, and snoring softly. He wasn’t intimately close (For a second Levi’s sleepy brain had gone there:  _ had they fucked? _ ) but had one strong, pale-haired arm thrown over Levi’s waist.

Levi shifted Sophie and squirmed out from under Erwin’s arm, scooting off of the bed and into the bathroom to piss and wash his hands and brush his teeth. As he did his week-end morning routine he glanced repeatedly into the mirror at the bulk of Erwin lying in his bed.

_ Would it have been so bad if they’d fucked? _

Levi scrubbed his teeth almost violently.  _ Yes, it would have been. Then everything would have changed. _ And Levi didn’t want anything to change. He  _ liked _ hate-flirting with Erwin. It made him feel alive. It wasn’t as if it could go any further … into  _ liking the man,  _ anyway.

Levi sighed and crossed to the kitchen to brew tea. It hurt to walk, it hurt to breathe and he was seriously concerned that he wouldn’t be able to lift the kettle full of water.

On the way past the fridge, Levi passed the calendar. November 15. He stopped, his face falling. Today was November 15? Well … fuck.

As he brewed his tea he sadly contemplated his life. It was not like someone as nice as Erwin would ever be more than superficially attracted to Levi. It would never last, anyway. It never  _ ever _ did.

He made his way back to the bedroom with a mug of tea and a piece of dry toast. He already hurt badly enough to eat 4 ibuprofen, too. At the bed, depressed and in pain, he kicked the mattress, waking both Sophie and Erwin.

“Get out, Dickhead. This is my bed.”

Erwin propped himself up on both elbows and looked around blearily, clearly confused. Levi settled himself into the bed and took up the remote.

“It’s not like we’re fucking or anything. What’s for breakfast?”

  
  



	7. The Mistake

Monday morning found Levi in a cab and at the office. He knew it was too early to go back to work but he was feeling low and feeling low made him belligerent.

As he passed through the lobby and stopped at the front desk to get his mail he could feel people’s eyes on him. He looked a mess and he knew it, his bruises were at their height of purple edged with sickly green and yellow. It had only been five days. He felt like a freak.

He took the stairs, disgusted at himself and embarrassed at everyone’s stares. He immediately regretted everything. He couldn’t jog up or even walk fast taking two steps at a time as he normally did. His ribs hurt him too badly. He was reduced to an elderly crawl.

On 15 he admitted defeat to himself and left the stairs, waiting impatiently for the lift. As he waited he eyeballed the normal milling crowd around the snack machines (and they side-eyed him back) and wondered where Erwin was. He hadn’t slept at Levi’s, hadn’t even sat with him in the bed and watched movies.  _ Had he come to Levi’s apartment this morning? How was he reacting to finding Levi gone? _

Levi wondered idly what Erwin had planned to make for breakfast. He’d missed it. And missed Erwin.

Levi suddenly sucked a breath in through his nose.  _ That had been a weird thought. I mean, who cares? Fuck it. _

When the elevator opened on 21 Levi was startled by the looming bulk of none other than Erwin Smith.

Levi blinked then darted (as well as he could) around him.

“Always in my way, you big-ass tree.”

Erwin doggedly followed him.

“You’re not well enough to be out.” Erwin said, “you have to be in extreme pain.”

“Oh, fuck off, Dickhead. I’m fine. Petra!” The PA, halfway down the hall, slid to a halt, startled. “Get me the Ogilvey files,”

“Are you ok to be out, s-sir?” Petra asked.

“Fuck both of you!” Levi snarled, “I’m fucking fine!” Levi tried to make a sweeping gesture with both arms but was forced to pin his elbows to his sides in pain. He headed for his office.

“This isn’t over, Levi,” Erwin called.

“Ogilvey files!” Levi barked and slammed his office door.

Levi fumbled a flask of whiskey out of his desk drawer and, despite it being 8 am, he took a big swig. It was gonna be a long day.

Despite Levi’s best efforts, he didn’t make it past noon. He was miserable and in agony and distraught in general. Yesterday, November 15. The anniversary sobered him every year. Or made him  _ not _ want to be sober. 

That did it. He decided to bail out of work. Fuck it. He slipped out without even speaking to anyone and headed for a local bar.

Four, almost five, gin-and-tonics later, Erwin found him. He slid into the barstool beside Levi and ordered himself a Manhattan. For a few moments, they just sat and drank in silence. Finally, Erwin couldn’t stand it. “You did it. You came back to work. It’s too soon.”

Levi shrugged and sipped at his drink.

“You were doing so well and working from home. What was it? What happened?” Erwin asked. “Was it me? Was it me falling asleep in the bed? I’m sorry, I …”

“Tha’ wasn’t it,” Levi interrupted.

“Then why?”

“Why d’you give a fuck, anyway?”

“Because I  _ care _ about you!” Erwin snapped and then immediately wished he could take it back. He took a sip of his drink instead, hiding behind his glass. 

Levi stared at him.

“You should rescon … reconsis … reconsider that.”

“Why? Why should I reconsider?”

“I’m not worth it, frankly.” Levi smiled a small smile. “Not worth it.”

“Levi … you _ are _ …”

“Nope,” and he popped the ‘P’.

“Levi …”

“Oh, quit yer whining. You dunno me. You dunno how I lose everyone.” Levi gulped down the rest of his drink and gestured at the bartender for another. “Everyone I love goes away.” he stared down into his ice. “Away …”

“I know about your mother, Levi. Hange told me.”

For a fraction of a split second Levi’s face changed. If Erwin hadn’t known better he’d have thought the man was about to cry. Then it was gone. Just like that.

Levi took a swig of his fresh drink. “OK. Sad story. OK. So you know it. Stupid Hange.”

Erwin pushed ahead ruthlessly. “Tell me about yesterday. What happened?”

It was almost as if the actual temperature of the bar had dropped. Erwin was sure a chilly breeze blew through, sure that the bar actually quieted.

Levi was silent for a long time.

“I was in love once,” he said suddenly then subsided and stared down into his drink. Erwin waited. After a long silence, he ventured to speak.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I was really young. Just in college. Poor kid with second-hand clothes and a holey bookbag.”

Erwin waited patiently. Levi swirled his drink.

“Her name was Nifa and when she looked at me she never saw my shabby clothes or my tiny single room that I rented. She just saw  _ me _ .”

Erwin had forgotten about his drink. He was staring at Levi.  _ Nifa. _

“I had never felt like that with anyone else. Since my mom, of course.”

Levi wet his fingertip and scrubbed at a stain on the bar top. “Nifa was smart--so smart--at the top of her class. She was going to be a doctor. I used to fantasize about us married. A doctor and a lawyer. We would have had a good life.”

Levi concentrated on the stain, scraping it with his thumbnail. He blinked rapidly a few times and Erwin realized that he was holding back tears. He put one big warm hand on Levi’s arm.

“What happened?”

“She died,” Levi said with finality. “She stepped out in front of a drunk guy’s car. He was blind wasted; just getting out of the bar early on a Saturday morning. She was heading for the library to meet me. She never … “ His speech hitched, “ … muh-made it.” 

The bartender cruised by and set a fresh drink down in front of Levi. “yesterday was the anniversary of her death.” Levi said.

“Levi … I’m so sorry.”

Levi wiped his nose briskly on a napkin and took a huge gulp of his drink.

“You keep saying that.”

Erwin knew that the snappish reply was not aimed at him, not really. Levi was just angry. It still stung though.

“Fuck it. I’m used to it. First mom, then Nifa. I’ve learned not to get close to anybody.” He lifted his drink towards Erwin in a sloppy toast. “I’m just not meant to love or be loved. And you wonder why I fuck everybody I fancy! Why not?!” He gestured widely and some of his drink slopped out over his fingers. “Just fuck it! Nobody cares. Certainly not me.”

Erwin swirled his drink contemplatively. Levi was getting very drunk and very aggravated. Yet Erwin couldn’t help himself.

“You know Levi,” he said gently, “that doesn’t mean that you aren’t meant for love.”

“Does so,”

“What about Hange?”

Levi gestured irritably, “Hange is a fucking anomaly in the natural world!”

“Levi …”

“The fuck do you care, Blondie?”

“Maybe that’s just it,” Erwin said his glass hitting the bar with a sharp tap, voice rising, “Maybe I  _ do _ care!”

Several emotions flitted across Levi’s face and Erwin knew he’d said the wrong thing, gone too far.

Levi blinked rapidly several times, face slowly flushing red. He didn’t look  _ angry _ , though. He looked … _ frightened _ .

“The fuck do you know, Dickhead?!’ Levi said shrilly, standing, “You couldn’t even hold onto your own fiancee!”

The instant the hateful words left Levi’s lips he regretted them. He actually covered his mouth with his free hand. He was shocked at himself and appalled that he’d even think such a thing, much less say it. All of this showed on his face. Erwin saw it but it was too late.

“Erwin …”

“Leave. Just leave.”

“Erwin, please …”

_ “Leave, Levi!” _

Levi pushed away from the bar and stumbled out.

It was raining gently but persistently and cold. Levi walked through it almost blindly. In a matter of minutes, he was soaked through and shivering. By the time he realized how wet and miserable he was, he was almost at his building. He ducked into his local liquor store and bought a pint of Jack Daniels and started drinking it as he walked the rest of the way. That would warm him up. Fuck it.  _ Fuck _ the wet.  _ Fuck _ the cold.  _ Fuck _ Erwin Smith. By the time his building loomed out of the steady rain, he was staggering.

On the way up in the lift (alone, thankfully,) Levi felt like he was having a heart attack.  _ What the hell was going on? What was this feeling? Was he feeling … regretful? _ Levi massaged the center of his chest. He actually, physically, hurt.  _ Why the fuck had he been so cruel to Erwin? Why did he hate himself for it now? _

Levi stumbled over the threshold to his apartment. He leaned so heavily on the doorknob that when the door swung all the way open he almost fell. As it was he fumbled to regain his balance, sagging against the door at an almost 45-degree angle.

He hiccuped and paused to take a swig out of the bourbon bottle in his other hand, dribbling a bit down his chin. After a couple of tries, he managed to balance himself enough to get the door closed. As he stood by the table in the foyer he caught sight of himself in the large mirror above it; disheveled hair, eyes red, and the faint greying of five o’clock shadow along his sharp jaw. He looked thin. Thin and unwell and unhappy.

“Fuck this shit,” he said and began struggling out of his suit jacket. He’d forgotten his coat at the bar and the jacket was soaked. “Fuck. What the fuck?”

The jacket was stuck. Levi fought it for a moment before he realized that he’d not put down the bourbon bottle and he couldn’t get that sleeve off while the bottle was still in his hand.

“Fucking bottle,” He murmured. He slammed it down on the foyer table and looked down at his legs. “Goddamn trousers are wet, too.” He unzipped them and dropped them where they fell, kicking off his shoes, too.

Clad only in his shirt, underpants, and socks he snatched the liquor bottle back up and cuddled it against his chest. He headed unsteadily toward the kitchen.

“Sophie? Sooophieee?” He crooned, stumbling against the kitchen island and bumping his knees painfully. “Sophie, darling, Daddy’s in trouble …”

He caught sight of the cat in the hall. She was acting furtive, confused at Levi’s behavior. “Sorry I’m late,” he added and belched.

He inched around the island, intending on opening some treats for the cat. His socks squished on the tile. Levi frowned in disgust. “Fucking wet socks. Gross, gross, gross,” he said and attempted to stand on one foot to remove one and almost fell. He shook that foot and flung the offending sock off. Then he forgot what he was doing. Slowly he sank down onto the floor. After a few moments, he dozed.

Levi awoke a few hours later on the chilly earth-tone tiles on the floor of his kitchen. He was propped against the island with the bottle of bourbon, miraculously, upright in his hand. His other hand was between his legs, buried in Sophie’s soft fur. She was curled, asleep, between his bare thighs.

He had on his dress shirt, his underpants, and a single, damp sock.

“Fuck … I, uh ... look like a wino.”

Levi took a long drink of the liquor and stroked his cat.

He looked to his left, out the floor to ceiling windows that made up the exterior wall of his living room. The lights of the city were dim and muted. It must have been early in the morning, well after midnight.

Levi took another long pull at the bottle and let his head fall back against the kitchen island. He squeezed his eyes closed and tried not to think about the person he wanted to think about. Erwin. Erwin fucking Smith.

Levi tried for a moment to hate the man but failed miserably. He couldn’t hate him. Just the opposite.

He stroked Sophie hard enough to wake her and she chirped inquiringly.

“Oh, Soph. Oh, fuck, Soph. What the fuck am I going to do? I think I love him.”

Sophie purred like a diesel engine.

  
  



	8. The Cat

Levi resignedly took another week off of work and harassed his office to within an inch of madness having them fetch and carry for him. Erwin never called or came by. Levi didn’t see him at all.

The next Monday, 13 days after the fight in the alley, Levi was back at work.

That whole day he looked around for Erwin, hoping to encounter him in the lift or on floor 15 or in the lobby. The big blond man was nowhere to be seen.

Levi resumed going to the gym (but not sparring yet) and his life slowly began getting back to normal.

Levi was gingerly working his arms with dumbbells and Hange was lying on a nearby benchpress bench.

“You should just go up there and walk into his office, Levi,” Hange said to the ceiling.

“Fuck that.”

“Levi, you have legitimate feelings for him. At least apologize for what you said and let him know how you feel.”

“Bullshit to that, Hans. He’ll  _ never _ know.”

“Why?!”

“Because, one, he probably couldn’t care less, and, two, it wouldn’t last anyway,” Levi grunted as he lifted the small hand weights--nothing like what he could do without broken ribs.

  
  
  


They did, of course, eventually meet again. It seems like their lives had become a series of vignettes on the elevator.

Levi had laid in his big lonely bed at night and imagined what he’d say to Erwin if they were stuck together, how he’d apologize, how he’d tell him--at least--how he missed him and thank him for being there after the fight. But when the time came it had been too long. Levi had had the chance to start to harden his outer shell again and his heart was withering like an old apple.

He was determined to try anyway, if only to get it over with.

“I know we haven’t been talking,” Levi said. He hesitated and dug his hands into his coat pockets. Erwin was silent.

“And I know why. I said something fucking stupid.” He trailed off. “And I … I wanted to say I was sorry!” he said abruptly, too loudly. “For what I said. It was wrong and I didn’t mean it.” Erwin jerked and looked at him and then averted his eyes.

Floors clicked by slowly.

“I’m broken and I know it. And I understand why you wouldn’t want to be with me … I mean,” he hastily amended, “... be around me.”

Erwin stood carefully still and Levi fiddled with the knot of his tie with one strong, white hand. Erwin wanted suddenly and fiercely to snatch that hand up and kiss it but he remained impassive, staring resolutely at the wall. The lift thumped gently onto the ground floor and Erwin stepped past him and pulled back the doors  and was gone.

  
  


Erwin couldn’t go home. He didn't want to. That messy space held no appeal for him. He thought of Levi’s place; painfully clean and smaller but so homey and welcoming and filled with the presence of the man; small watercolors and photographs by Moblit on the walls, Sophie’s things put up neatly everywhere, Hange’s extra coat and shoes in the closet in case she came in--like she often did--wet and cold, her coat forgotten and her shoes soaked.

Erwin sat in his glass office and bowed his head into his hands. He was miserable. He could  _ not _ concentrate. He couldn’t think of his job, he couldn’t work out, or socialize. All he could do was think of Levi. How beautiful he was despite the faint hint of purple still under his eyes and on the sharp edge of his left cheekbone. He thought of how delicate Levi’s psyche must be that he’d kill the only real relationship he’d had since Nifa out of … fear.

Levi was clearly terrified. He was scared to get close to anyone, scared that that person would just up and disappear like his mom and Nifa.

Erwin knew  _ he _ wouldn’t disappear out of Levi’s life! Then he flinched when he realized that he  _ had _ .

Damnit though! (Erwin thumped the top of his desk resolutely.) He couldn’t take on the responsibility of Levi’s fragile heart, right? He had enough of his own problems, OK? If Levi didn’t want help, if he didn’t want love, who was Erwin to force him?

Erwin’s phone buzzed and he glanced at it.

LEVI ACKERMAN

Erwin stared at the thing.  _ Speak of the devil and he shall appear. _ He had wanted to take Levi’s name out of his phone but he hadn’t been able to bring himself to do so and now that weakness was coming back to bite him on the backside. Crap.

The phone buzzed urgently again, jittering on the desk. Erwin’s resolve was dematerializing.

LEVI ACKERMAN

Erwin quickly declined the call. Determined to finally take Levi’s name out of the thing. Later. Sometime later. He was busy now.

He picked up a sheaf of papers and straightened the edges on the desktop. His phone buzzed.

LEVI ACKERMAN

Crap!

_ Decline. _

Another buzz.

LEVI ACKERMAN

Erwin snatched up the offensive thing and almost threw it across the room. Would Levi be harassing him if he knew how much just seeing Levi’s name made his heart hurt? Erwin pressed the button and slammed the thing to his ear.

“Levi … I swear to--!”

“Erwin! Oh, god, Erwin! I can’t find Sophie! When I got home the balcony door was open and she’s gone! Erwin … I … I think she may have fallen …!”

Erwin clutched the phone so tightly it creaked. “I’ll be right there!”

  
  


Levi was a complete mess when Erwin arrived. He’d run his fingers through his hair so many times that it was sticking up in all directions  _ and _ he’d been drinking. He slopped two or three fingers of bourbon into two glasses for the both of them.

He held his up. “For courage.”

Erwin joined him in draining a glass. “What have you done so far?”

“I’ve spoken to everyone I can find in the building--just in case--but a lot of people are not home yet. I’ve searched every inch of the alley …” Levi became overwhelmed. “...every inch of the alley below the balcony.”

Erwin laid a hand on Levi’s shoulder and gripped firmly. “Levi if she fell 19 stories …”

“I know!” Levi snapped, rubbing angrily at his eyes, “but I wanted to at least find h-her bod-body.”

“But you found nothing?”

Levi shook his head.

“Well, that’s good. Maybe she got out the door and is in the building somewhere?”

Levi shook his head. “She’s six years old. I’ve had her since she was a b-baby and she’s never even tried to get out the door.”

“Well, we’ll see. Let’s be optimistic.”

They got hold of Hange (she and Moblit had been holed up in her lab) and she said she was on the way. In the meantime, they scoured the inside of the building again--all 19 other floors and the stairwells--and even the basement. The more they looked, the more distraught Levi got and Erwin had to struggle to keep him calm. 

It made Erwin feel good, though, useful, as if he was helping. He relished the feeling of being  _ needed _ by Levi.

Hange arrived like a hurricane a little after 8 pm and took over.

“You go talk to the neighbors who may be home now and Mobe and I will go back over the apartment.”

“I’ve already looked three times. Everywhere!”

Hange took Levi by the shoulders and turned him around to face Erwin. She gave him a slight shove. “We’ve got fresh eyes. Go.”

Levi and Erwin had finished talking to the neighbors and were going over the alley with a fine-tooth comb. Levi was so agitated that he hadn’t even brought his coat and his teeth were chattering. Erwin knew that he wouldn’t go inside till they’d gone over the alley inch by inch so he tried talking to distract Levi.

“I’m really sorry, Levi.”

“Yeah, thanks, if I could just find out what happened …”

“No, not Sophie--although I’m sure we’ll find her--I mean us. I’m sorry about us. About how I treated you.”

Levi stopped and leaned on the length of PVC he was using to poke and prod mounds of rubbish. For several seconds he didn’t speak or look at Erwin and Erwin’s heart sank.

“I’m sorry I was so stand-offish,” Erwin said, “I was confused and … hurt.”

Levi’s head came up at that. For a moment he just stood, scraping his thumbnail on the end of the PVC pipe. It made a hollow sound. Then, abruptly, and without any preamble, Levi had Erwin in his arms.

The kiss was not soft or gentle in any way. It was all tongue and teeth and roaming hands. Erwin was so startled that he did nothing but stand there while Levi dragged his head down and went up on his tiptoes to reach him.

Then it was over and Levi rested his head against Erwin’s sternum while gripping his ass loosely.

“I’m sorry too.” Levi murmured, “It was a shitty and untrue thing to say to you. Thank you for coming out to help with Sophie.”

And then he pulled back as if it had never happened, resuming his slow walk and prodding every pile of trash bigger than a cat.

Hange and Moblit, meanwhile, were ruthless; dragging towels and sheets out of closets, clothes out of hampers, and pots and pans out of kitchen cabinets.

“Hey, Hange! Come look at this!”

Hange scrambled up from where she was tearing open every storage box in the bedroom closet. She found Moblit in the bathroom, his head under the sink. He extracted himself.

“Take a look.”

Hange got on her knees and poked her head in. “What am I looking at? It’s an unnaturally clean bathroom cupboard.”

“Look up.”

Hange did and … there was a hole. It wasn’t very big but would fit a cat. 

“The cabinet door was open a crack.”

“Oh my god!” she punched Levi’s number into her cell phone, “Where does it lead do you think?”

“Into the space between the wall studs.”

“Would she go up?”

“There’s nothing above us. Penthouse suite, remember?”

They looked at each other. “Downstairs neighbor!” they chorused.

They all convened in the bathroom a bit later.

“The super says he won’t let me in someone else’s apartment just to look for a cat. He says Mrs. Hughes will probably be home by nine.” Levi sighed and jingled the change in his pockets in agitation.

“Come down here and look at the hole,” Hange said, “See if you think it’s big enough.”

“Soph’s not a big cat but that hole looks awfully small,” Levi said on his hands and knees inspecting the opening.

“Cats can get in any hole that they can get their head through,” Moblit said.

“Fuck, I hope she’s down there,” Levi said, chewing his lip.

  
  


Mrs. Hughes, who cleaned offices for a living, and had built up her own small business, was a round and jovial Latinx lady who was immediately sympathetic. “I had one of mine get in the wall when I had some construction done. Yowled like an idiot till we got him out, haha!” She twisted the key in the lock and swung open the door. “She’s probably in here with mine.”

The apartment was unusually messy for a person whose business it was to clean and the whole place had the faint underlying smell of cat.

They didn’t have to look far.

“Sophie!”

Why Sophie hadn’t bothered coming back upstairs became apparent as soon as they entered the kitchen. The entire floor was strewn with neatly opened cans of expensive tuna. Not tuna flavored cat food but actual people tuna. In olive oil. There, nestled between a big ginger tom and a fat, fluffy grey cat was Sophie herself, polishing off a tin. There had to have been six other cats in the room.

She finished it in a leisurely fashion, cleaned her face briefly, and then hurried over to Levi to purr and rub around his legs. He snatched her up in a tight hug that made her meow in protest.


	9. The Making Up

Moblit, a cordless drill, and a small piece of wallboard later had the hole sealed firmly up and Hange and Moblit took their leave.

As soon as they were gone Levi stripped unceremoniously down to his boxer briefs and climbed into bed.

“Fuck, I need a nap. Sorry. I’m just beat.”

“I understand,” Erwin said, swallowing hard.

“Will you stay with me?” Levi asked, “Just to keep an eye on Soph while I sleep, of course.”

“Of course.”

Levi snuggled into his covers and Sophie rubbed on Erwin and purred. Levi rolled over. Then over again. He suddenly sighed.

“Fuck. I’m tired but too worked up to sleep!”

“We could watch a movie …”

“You wanna?” Levi asked.

“What were you thinking of watching?”

“I’ve got one more episode of The Mandalorian to watch.”

“Oh! I’m on the last episode as well! Let’s watch that.”

The Pop Secret movie theatre butter came out and soon the three of them--Levi, Erwin, and Sophie who laid between them kneading the duvet--were avidly watching. Levi fell asleep first, curled into a small fetal ball with Sophie in his arms. Erwin lay behind him and even ventured to stroke one strong pale arm and rest his hand on Levi’s waist before he, too, fell asleep.

Erwin woke and it was warm, so warm. He snuggled back into the warmth and the warmth snuggled him in return.

His eyes snapped open.

Two small strong arms were wrapped around him, hands possessively on his pecs, and a small head was burrowed into his back between his shoulder blades. Levi was spooning him.

Erwin had to urinate so he regretfully extricated himself from the delicious heat without waking the man and made his way into the bathroom. He relieved himself, washed his hands, and brushed his teeth for good measure.

Should he go back to the bed?

Levi’s toothbrush was also wet and there was a teacup on the bedside table. The bedroom door was closed and there was no Sophie in the room, either. That meant that Levi had already been up and had come back to the bed. And locked Sophie out.

The siren call of the warmth spoke to him.

He climbed back into the bed.

As soon as Erwin presented his broad back to Levi the smaller man snaked his arms around him making Erwin wonder if he was asleep at all.

Erwin was correct. Levi wasn’t asleep at all.

As soon as Erwin got settled Levi began getting not-so-surreptitiously closer and now his crotch ground against Erwin’s ass. After a few minutes, something became apparent.

“Uh, Levi?”

“Uh-huh?”

“You … uh … your …”

Levi rolled his hips slowly and deliberately. “Uh-huh.” His growing erection nestled between Erwin’s buttcheeks.

Erwin blushed. “Levi!”

“What?”

Levi nuzzled his face between Erwin’s shoulder blades and rolled his hips again. A low groan escaped him and Erwin’s own cock stiffened.

“So we’re doing this?” Erwin asked a bit breathlessly.

“Are we?”

“If you want to.”

“Oh,” Levi said, rubbing his cock rhythmically against Erwin’s ass, greedily getting that friction, “I  _ want _ to.”

“Are we ready for this?”

“We’ve kissed. Twice.”

“Wait. What?  _ Twice?” _

Erwin rolled over to face Levi who sighed. “You don’t remember the rooftop?”

Erwin frowned. “The rooftop? I was drunk, I … oh my god. I  _ kissed _ you?”

Levi smirked. Erwin ran his fingers through his sleep tousled hair.

“All this time and I had  _ kissed _ you? You must think I’m crazy.”

“No. But I do think you’re a good kisser.” and Levi’s mouth pressed into Erwin’s. This time Erwin was a little more prepared and they leaned into each other, tongue sliding over tongue, teeth nipping lips

When they separated Erwin’s eyes were slightly glazed over.

“This can be our hate sex,” Levi said, lifting Erwin’s shirt and fondling his right pec. He reached up to nibble at the thin flesh under Erwin’s left ear.

“Do we hate each other?” Erwin asked somewhat anxiously.

“If it’ll end in great sex …” Levi shrugged.

Erwin pushed him away gently. “Levi I don’t hate you. I can’t.”

Levi sighed. “And I don’t hate you either, Dickhead. Not after you came and helped find Sophie.”

“Can we just have regular ‘I-kinda-like-you’ sex?”

Levi fixed him in a steely gaze.

“Fuck, yeah,” and he pounced on Erwin, landing on top of him, kissing him urgently.

Erwin rolled back onto his back grunting and laughing between kisses as Levi tried to stroke and fondle him everywhere.

Levi, trying to concentrate on one part of the gorgeous man beneath him, licked a line up Erwin’s sternum.

“Y’know, I imagined you naked,” he said, “and kneeling on the floor.” 

Erwin’s breath hitched. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Hands tied behind your back.”

“Oh!”

“I think we need to do it at the office. Get our Sub and Dom on. You can call me ‘Daddy’.”

“The office?! Anyone could interrupt us …”

“That’s part of the fun.” Levi descended on a nipple and sucked hard. Erwin came off of the bed in a delicious arc. “Oh, god, Levi!”

Levi made his way downward, gripping Erwin’s cock and making him draw in a hiss of air. Erwin watched with hooded eyes as Levi gently rolled Erwin’s foreskin back and flicked his tongue across the head.

“Oh, Levi …”

Abruptly the coy kisses and kitten licks turned to sucking and Erwin let his head drop back onto the pillow.

“Oh god, Levi, you’ll make me come doing that!”

“Hmm,” Levi said, his mouth full. He came off with a slurp. “Turn over then, big boy.”

Erwin obliged eagerly. “Hands and knees?”

“No, just lay on your belly. You’ll like it like that. More friction. Tight as fuck.”

Erwin flipped and Levi swarmed eagerly over him, gripping and massaging his buttcheeks and kissing all over. He paused to rummage in the bedside drawer for lube and condoms.

Dropping both onto the bed beside Erwin’s legs, Levi resumed worshipping Erwin’s ass. It was a glorious thing, round and tight and flecked lightly with golden hair on the underside where his glutes merged with the tops of his legs. Levi was fascinated.

Erwin was flattered by the attention to what he considered his best part but was wholly unprepared for having Levi’s agile tongue probing between his cheeks.

“Levi!”

“Be still you drama queen. You have the finest ass I’ve ever seen and I’m gonna eat you out better than you’ve ever been eaten.”

“I’ve never--” was as far as Erwin got before Levi was prying his buttocks apart and licking a long flat stripe between them.

Erwin’s hips bucked up of their own volition, spreading his cheeks a bit and inadvertently giving Levi better access. The other man licked and probed at the tight ring there and added his slender fingers to the mix, caressing and prodding.

Erwin groaned and spread his legs, hips canted up at an angle as Levi’s clever tongue and fingers dipped into his hole.

Abruptly Levi reached for the lube, liberally coating his fingers and drizzling it over Erwin’s asshole like syrup on pancakes.

He eased two fingers in, rotating his wrist and pushing them in deeply.

“Oh, god, Levi!” Erwin moaned, thrusting jerkily into the mattress.

“Relax and be a good boy.”

“It feels so good!”

“Keep your hips down on the bed and your legs together.”

“Hnnnn!”

“God you’re so tight like this, so wet.”

The fingers withdrew and Erwin could hear Levi opening the condom packet. “Gotta fuck you now, big boy. Sorry, I just can’t wait. Jesus, you are so fucking gorgeous.”

Levi positioned himself over Erwin, legs on either side of Erwin’s own. He lubed up his latex-clad cock and aimed it between Erwin’s buttcheeks.

With Erwin’s legs and buttocks pressed together, the tightness and friction were amazing as Levi slowly pressed against the sensitive ring of Erwin’s ass. For a moment Levi’s cock caught there then he pressed in with a long drawn out groan.

Levi’s sound of pleasure was echoed by Erwin who fisted the sheets and matched him moan for moan. Levi had been right; this position was excellent. Levi had to really work to get his fat cock past Erwin’s sphincter and the sensation for Erwin was exquisite.

Levi pushed carefully and slowly inside, controlling himself with some difficulty. Finally, he started up a nice, even rhythm, and Erwin’s soft grunts and moans filled the room.

“Do you like that? Does that feel good, my beautiful Number Cruncher?’

“You know--hnnn!--know it does! Oh, faster Levi!”

Levi obligingly ratcheted up his speed till perspiration dripped from his hair and the tip of his nose.

“Don’t you wish you worked for me?” Levi gasped, “Then we could do this every day; in the office, in the stairwell, on the roof. You could beg me to come in you.”

“Levi ...Levi!”

Levi paused suddenly, leaning over Erwin’s sweaty back, licking at his shoulder blade. “You don’t ever curse, do you?”

Erwin squirmed, frustrated, trying to impale himself on Levi’s dick. “Levi …!”

Levi thrust abruptly, filling the man.

“OH!”

Levi resumed his pause, balls deep. “Like I’m never gonna get you to beg me _ ‘Oh, fuck me Levi! Fuck me!’ _ am I?”

“Levi!” Erwin was beet red.

“C’mon say it. Beg me to fuck you.”

“Levi, please! Please just move!”

Levi reached around and under Erwin and lightly fingered the head of Erwin’s swollen, red, and pre-cum-dripping cock.

“Say it …”

“Levi! Please! Don’t make me say it, just, just … do it.”

With a grunt, Levi withdrew to his cockhead and then plunged his length into the other man. He started up a brutal rhythm, fingers digging into Erwin’s hips, laying over the other man, rubbing his cheek against his ribs. “You don’t ever have to say anything you don’t want to, Erwin, just talk to me. Tell me how much you enjoy my fat cock up your pretty ass.”

“Yes! Yes! I do! I enjoy--oh!--it, Levi!”

“Say ‘thank you’” Levi murmured, biting along Erwin’s spine.

“Thank you, Levi! Oh god, thank you!”

With a grunt of satisfaction, Levi levered himself up partially onto his knees and redoubled his stroke.

“Levi! Levi! Yes, please! Fill me up!”

For the next few minutes, it was just grunts and sighs and murmured nothings and the heady sound of flesh slapping flesh as Levi fucked Erwin and Erwin lifted his hips and rocked, fucking the mattress.

It didn’t take long.

“Oh! Gonna … come …  _ Levi!” _

Erwin’s hips stuttered and his buttocks and ass clenched as he spilled spurts of cum onto the sheets below himself.

“Fuck! Erwin!  _ Yes _ … oh yes …” And Levi came deep inside Erwin’s ass before the other man had even finished coming.

For several long moments they just lay there, sweaty and sticky and utterly exhausted.

There was a scratching at the door and a plaintive meow.

Erwin chuckled.

“She wants to know what we’re doing, nosy thing,” Levi grumbled.

“Shower?” Erwin asked lazily. “Then we can let her in.”

“Or rest up and do round two?”

Erwin lifted the upper part of his body off the bed--easily lifting Levi who still lay on top of him-- and looked around at him. “You’re an animal,” he laughed, “You know that?”

Levi grinned.

  
  
  
  


Friday evening found them on the roof of the Cornerstone building, a bottle of fine cabernet sauvignon between them, chatting about their day and their respective firm’s cases.

Levi took a long gulp of wine out of a paper cup. “We on for tonight?”

Erwin almost spilled his wine. “Are you kidding? I’m still sore from that session in your office!”

Levi frowned, “I’m sorry. I got a little over-enthused. It was  _ so _ fucking hot, though.” He stroked Erwin’s hand, “You looked so beautiful.”

Erwin blushed and pretended to look at the stars. “It felt really good too, just a little embarrassing.” He looked shyly over at Levi. “You were amazing.”

Levi ducked his head and swirled his wine in the cup.

“Care to interdigitate?” Erwin asked.

Levi looked startled for a split second while his brain kicked into gear, then the corners of his mouth tipped up and he intertwined his small fingers with Erwin’s large ones. They sat in comfortable silence, holding hands, looking out over the city. Erwin was patient. He knew a final shot was coming.

“Bet you thought I didn’t know what that meant, didn’tcha?” Levi said finally.

Erwin chuckled and held his hand tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are at the end! :D I hope you liked this little fic. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for those of you who have stuck with me on this one! Your comments have helped me write more every single day!
> 
> Kudos are loved, comments are adored! I hope all of you are safe and well! <3


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